What is a Pet's Eye View Camera?

The Pet's Eye View Camera™ is a small digital camera that is intended to be clipped to a pet's collar. This camera takes pictures automatically in one-, five-, or 15-minute intervals, depending on the setting selected by the user. Each image taken has a resolution of 640x480 pixels, with the camera's memory holding no more than 40 pictures. Often considered a toy or novelty, the main purpose of the device is to provide a visual window into an animal's world. In this sense, the Pet's Eye View Camera™ can be considered an amateur animal behaviorist's or biologist's tool, much like National Geographic's Crittercam.

Compatible with both Mac® and Windows® computer operating systems, the camera is designed to work out of the box. It must be charged and recharged using the included universal serial bus (USB) cable — typically requiring about two hours of charging before it can be used. After being fully charged, the Pet's Eye View Camera™ is then attached to the pet's collar, which must be flat and have a width of at least 3/8 inch (about .95 cm) for the camera to be worn safely. This camera does not require any additional software to work with the computer — once the device has recorded images, it can simply be connected to a computer via USB cable to view the images.

There are several problems with the Pet's Eye View Camera™. While the device is marketed for use with both dogs and cats, the camera might be considered fairly large for most cats and small dogs. The shutter speed of the camera does not appear to be sufficiently fast enough to capture rapid motion shots without blurring, and the resolution of the images is only good enough for reasonably clear 4 by 6 inch (about 10.2 by 15.2 cm) prints. Since the camera hangs from a collar, the underside of the animal's head often appears in the images, which is only a problem for some users. This positioning of the device also means that the cat or dog can be looking at something in a different direction than the camera is capturing, and the images are not literally what the pet is viewing.

While the Pet's Eye View Camera™ does not record video, its images do give a fairly good idea of where a pet has been. A dog is usually watched closely by its owner when roaming outdoors, but a cat often goes to unexpected places and wanders freely. Images captured in locations that humans don't often see, such as the underside of a car, are one of the main draws of this device. Purchasing this camera gives pet owners the chance to experience their pet’s activities when humans aren't watching. This impulse toward curiosity about animals and nature is the basis of many scientific pursuits, and the Pet's Eye View Camera™ provides an inexpensive way to exercise that curiosity.