If pictures of puppies are cute, live streaming Web footage of what puppies do when left to their own devices is pretty much irresistible. The award winning Shiba Inus Web cam that started the trend in 2008 has proven it, scoring a People’s Voice Award and landing in the Viral category for the 13th Annual Webby Awards. Their success have led other breeders to follow suit, and now whether you’re keeping an eye on a puppy until you can bring it home or you just like watching puppies hang out (who doesn’t?) you can watch any number of breeds 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on the live broadcast site UStream.
Puppy Cams are more than super cute ways to market dogs to potential owners – they add transparency to the breeding process and help potential owners avoid buying from puppy mills. Ed Pelto, an English bulldog breeder in Woodbury Minnesota told the Paw Nation Web site that “There’s no hiding anything here. With all the controversy, all the news and with these cams, how people still end up buying from puppy mills, I just don’t understand.”
Puppy Cams also allow people to enjoy breeds that may not be right for their living situation, according to breeder Karen Moureaux – owner of Contact Border Collies in Fillmore, California – “Some people fall in love with them just watching them online, but it isn’t necessarily the right dog for their situation.” The Puppy Cams also become a second set of watchful eyes, viewers often call Moureaux if they think something is wrong with the puppies and some even take turns watching over mothers who are close to delivery so that Moureaux can get some sleep. Like most successful online offerings, good Puppy Cams are allowing people to build communities and make new friends. Plus, puppies. How could they really go wrong?
