How did you come up with the idea for the PuppyCam?
Several years ago, I walked into my classroom and noticed half of the students crowded around my desk and the computer, making "ooh" and "aah" noises. I nudged my way in to see what all the fuss was about. Evidently, I had left the computer on overnight. I had hooked a webcam up to my computer so I could monitor the puppies from my work. There in front of the class were my a litter of six puppies -- three male and three female -- in their whelping box, nursing. Well one wasnt nursing and some of students were concerned. I had just left them at home. When they learned that this was actually a live video feed in real time, They were fascinatedand wowed.The students fell in love with the puppies and began sending links to their friends. The link went "viral," and suddenly millions of computers in more than sixty countries were tuned, showing the homegrown phenomenon that became known as the "puppycam". Two of the puppies had already been bought as showdogs at the age of a day or two. Within 48 hours of the class seeing them, we found very nice pet situations for the other four puppies. And we began a waiting list for the next litter.
Modern times are stressful, bills, debt, $4 dollar gasoline, an out of control government; viewers claimed that watching the mom and puppies calmed them down, distracted them from their worries. One Psychologist emailed me and he said it "had an overall positive effect on people's mental health." The PuppyCam experience inspired several other breeders to set up their own webcams to start monitoring their dogs and puppies at home. Now you can find a puppy cam on pretty much any breed. Google it and see.
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