Are you a helicopter fur-baby parent who suffers separation anxiety when you're away from your furry friends.
Well now you can track your pet's antics when you are not at home and even video call them in real time.
Aussie animal lovers are taking advantage of new wearable tech devices, online pet monitoring services, and fast internet connectivity to tackle our growing ‘pet-fret’ anxiety.
Recent research shows we are a nation obsessed with our furry friends as 63 per cent of Australian households now own a pet and 90 per cent of them consider their pets a part of the family.
Spending an estimated $8 billion each year, we are also investing in the wellbeing of our pets more than ever before.
Animal Behaviourist Laura Vissaritis says separation anxiety has become a common condition for many pet owners.
“We consider our pets honorary members of the family so it’s only natural to worry and feel a sense of separation anxiety when we leave them at home," she says.
The reality is, most of us can’t be with our animals 24-hours-a-day, but access to fast broadband is transforming the way we are able to connect and care for our pets at home. Whether on holiday or at the office, we can now book a pet-sitter and use Skype to check-in on their wellbeing, or install pet cams to watch and play with our pets while on the go.
- Pet sitters – online pet minding services are helping Aussies to find the perfect person to care for their pet when away from home. Once boarding the owner can video call in for a virtual visit with services such as PetCloud and Pawshake;
- GPS enabled trackers – innovative tracking technologies are now available as animal collars, allowing Aussies to trace pets’ footsteps from afar. Leaders in this space include Trakapet, Petrek, Whistle and Retrieva;
- Fitness devices – health monitoring gadgets such as FitBark and smart collar Voyce, are pioneering the pet fitness device movement, allowing Aussies to easily keep track of a pet’s health;
- Home monitoring systems – broadband-enabled pet cameras allow anxious Aussie pet-owners to tactically position cameras such as PetCube and Petziconnect in the home and watch or interact remotely from a smartphone.
