Hard for me to believe that it’s been four years since I posted pictures of Doc and Dolly, the utterly vital employees of Russian Hill Upholstery and Decor. I finally ran into Doc outside for the first time ever a couple of months ago, and sure enough, the color balance is rather better when there’s some actual light on him.
You could bundle up a dozen adorable little baby fruit bats in each of those ears.
We have a guest post! In fact, we have our first guest post ever! A neighbor of mine, Nicole Gallmann, has a pup I was fortunate enough to dogsit for a little while ago. When I got a Logi Circle camera for evaluation purposes, with the condition that someone review it, I thought of her: she was going away and leaving her little girl with me for almost two weeks, so I figured she would like to be able to check in and see how everyone was. I told her to pull no punches in the review, so consider this the unbiased opinion of the owner of a cute little dog.
And with that, take it away, Nicole!
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to try out a fancy new piece of technology in exchange for my review: the Logi Circle Camera from Logitech (i.e., a “nanny cam”). With a long-needed vacation approaching, the timing proved manifest. I’d be able to keep an eye on my dog, Wendy, while away from home and under the care of her dog sitter (your regular author here, Adam).
Wendy is a six year old Shih tzu poodle that I adopted in 2010 from PAWS Chicago, a no kill animal shelter in the city from which we recently relocated. She was one of their “Twelve Strays of Christmas” and from the moment I saw her on their website, I knew. Except for vacations and sporadic work travel, we’ve been inseparable ever since.
So, without hesitation, I dug into the perfectly square cube the web cam comes packaged in, and promptly plopped it and its charging ring down on the shelving in our front room. Although it’s portable once fully charged, I opted to leave the camera on its base as Wendy typically lazes on the back of the couch, looking out the window all day. Setting up the camera through the free Circle App for iPhone was quick and easy. I think, in all, it took three minutes? Maybe?
With the camera in place, we left the next morning for the airport. As our uber pulled away from the curb, I promptly opened the Circle app to catch Wendy settling in for what would be her first nap of the day. Throughout the days to come, I was able to check in on her at will. In fact, it became part of my morning routine!
Don’t worry, the green bar is just a prompt. The rest of it is the standard interface.
There I was, on a beach thousands of miles away, watching Wendy watching the neighborhood from our front window. If I wanted to, I could also access a timelapse summary of activity in the room from midnight (night vision works!) to the current time, with the summary resetting every 24 hours. I was even able to talk to Wendy through the camera and hear her barking via the two-way mic: a feature that came in handy when I caught her gnawing on a hind paw. I was able to remind her there’s “no licking”- she was confused, but surprisingly complied (for almost a whole minute)!
Picture as saved to ‘my photos’.
Ultimately, the one functionality that I wish the web cam had is the means to pivot and zoom remotely via the app. I tried using my iPhone’s touchscreen to zoom and turn the camera (the most intuitive option), but with no luck. I also searched the bare-bones in-app menu, assuming one of the icons there must offer some form of remote control over the camera, but came up empty-handed. Maybe in future iterations?
That said, now that we’re back from vacation, I still use the camera when I have to be in the office. Having the ability to see and talk to my dog throughout the day has given me greater peace of mind and allowed me to feel connected to her when I can’t be there in person. Puppy cam for the win!
I know there are other webcams out there (which I haven’t used) that may have more bells and whistles, but for how I’ve been using the Logi Circle; it’s proven more than suitable.
Sincerely,
This pile of little kittens decided to wait out the stressful adoption fair in their litterbox. Kittens are goofballs.
It’s better not to think about what they were sitting in, and to just enjoy the kitten floof.
What were the chances? What were the chances of getting TWO dogs with heart-shaped spots, in the SAME WEEK? (Well, roughly 100% since I saved both of them for the same week. But still!)
Roxi! Roxi is 7 years old. She’s noble, and cheerful, and is an akita inu mixed with… well, we don’t know. But something herd-y, since she really really really likes to herd. Maybe there’s some border collie in there somewhere? Or German shepherd? Belgian? Hmm.
The white splotch on a dog’s chest is called the ‘medallion’. So this is a ‘Heart-Shaped Medallion’, although, to be fair, it is not Burgundy.
Maybe an Australian cattle dog Lab mix? God, I dunno. Adorable, though.
I love the little spot of drool on the sidewalk.
Don’t tell anyone this, but I quite like running into the dogs without their owners.
That way I can monopolize their attention for as long as I like.
I’ve been sitting on this for a few weeks because it was just too adorable: a squee-worthy puppydog with a HEART on his side! Rocky is 3 months old, and stopped traffic on 4th Street during rush hour. Okay, okay, it was pedestrian traffic, but that was only because he was too small for the motorists to see.
I was with him for almost ten minutes, trying to make sure I got at least SOME non-blurry shots (it was dark). In that entire time, the tail never stopped moving.
In the time I was there, literally two dozen people must’ve stopped.
Okay, look at that, this dog has a heart on his side.
A better look at that little heart.
Uber? Pfft. I’ll take Unter, as in underdog, as in this little guy right here.
Funny what you see while walking the streets of San Francisco.
In this case I think the cabbie was inside Chaat Corner, picking up some dinner. For two, of course.
Guinea pigs aren’t from Guinea, or New Guinea. Nor are they pigs. Kinda cute, though.
It’s illegal to own only one guinea pig in Switzerland. Apparently they get too lonely.
Found this remarkable feline at an adoption fair in Berkeley a couple weekends ago. Lucky I got there early, because I bet someone adopted her really quick: total sweetheart, and amazing appearance.
Cat coat color genetics. Pretty fascinating stuff.
Look at the funky little spots on the ears.
I think he’s a Lab mix. I know he was just in the middle of being adopted when I got some pictures of him.
How can he look so sad and so cuddly at the same time?
