Your Dog Can Now FaceTime. Are You Ready for 27 Calls a Day?
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Imagine this: you’re in a meeting, phone buzzes, and it’s… your dog. Not a meme, not a butt-dial — a real video call started by your pup. Thanks to researchers at the University of Glasgow, that’s no longer sci-fi.
Meet the DogPhone
The DogPhone is a soft, motion-sensitive ball created by Dr. Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas and her team at the University of Glasgow’s Animal-Computer Interaction Group. When a dog shakes the ball, it automatically triggers a video call to their owner.
The goal? Give pets a way to initiate contact — letting them “phone home” when they feel lonely, curious, or just want to show you that they’ve knocked over the bin again.
What the Trials Found
- Some dogs loved it, calling multiple times a day to see their owners.
- Others ignored it completely (typical cat energy, even from dogs).
- Researchers say it’s an early step toward pet-driven communication, not just owner surveillance.
Dr. Hirskyj-Douglas put it best: “We wanted to give dogs the agency to call their humans, and to learn what happens when pets are given control over technology.”
Why It’s a Big Deal
This isn’t just cute — it’s science. The DogPhone project is part of a larger movement to explore animal sentience and communication. Combined with new AI research and the soon-to-launch Jeremy Coller Centre for Animal Sentience at LSE, the future could include AI tools that decode pet emotions or allow richer two-way communication.
But Do We Really Want This?
Picture it: your dog FaceTiming you every 5 minutes because you left the room, or butt-dialing you with its nose while you’re on a date. Cute? Yes. Practical? We’re not so sure. (Also, we’re praying no dog learns how to spam call like a telemarketer.)
Our Take
Whether DogPhones go mainstream or not, we love the idea of pets having more ways to express themselves. Until then, the easiest way to keep your dog “close” all day is to put their face on something you can’t lose.
🐾 Keep Your Pet “On Call” — Literally
At theTailed, we turn your pet’s photo into a custom, comic-style illustration you can put on a
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