I’ve got a half-chill/half-anxious pup named Lucy. Moving back to Chicago from Denver has been quite a transition, to say the least. And as a single dog mom, I worry about her well-being. Naturally, I figure stalking her while I’m away is the healthiest thing for both of us. Enter the Furbo.
Furbo is a pet cam that allows you to stalk watch, interact, and throw treats at your dog/cat/rabbit/chinchilla. Like many apps, you can subscribe to Furbo Nanny, which sends you play-by-play notifications, such as “Lucy is resting,” “Your pet is walking and then lying on a pet bed,” “They are chewing on an object,” and my favorite, “A person has been spotted.” That’s right; Furbo tells you about yourself, which can be a bit confronting. I’ve gotten that jarring notification a few times when I wasn’t home -- it was recognizing humans on the TV (phew).
Of course, all of this is driven by AI. For the first month or so, I had Furbo plugged in 24/7, whether I was away or not. It took that long to realize I could just unplug the thing so it doesn’t record me watching TV, or eating lunch, etc. I’m glad I got smart.
When I say I have a half-chill, half-anxious pup, I really mean that. It didn’t take her long to adjust. I was mostly worried about her crying and barking, which she doesn’t do much of anymore. I subscribed to Furbo Nanny for the year, and I’m somewhat regretting it. It gives me peace of mind, but 95% of the notifications are of her sleeping (and that is truly the best thing I can ask for).