PHILADELPHIA — Americans are becoming increasingly obsessed with watching their pets on security cameras while away from home, according to new survey results.
The research, commissioned by Comcast and conducted by Wakefield Research, included 1,000 U.S. adults who are cat and/or dog owners and use a camera to monitor their pets.
Nearly half (44%) of those surveyed check in on their pets four times a day or more, and nearly 2 in 5 (38%) take a peek during work.
Additionally, 94% say checking in on their pet is one of the best parts of their day.
The survey also found:
- Pet owners love furry distractions. Nearly 3 in 4 (73%) pet owners who check their cameras do so while on vacation to sneak a peek of their pet(s) whenever possible. Nearly 3 in 5 (59%) have checked while at a party or social event; more than 2 in 5 (44%) have checked during a workout; during a meeting (38%); while talking on the phone (38%); and while out on a date (32%).
- Pets are more entertaining than family and friends. More than two-thirds (68%) of respondents reported checking in on their pet(s) more than social media to see what their family and friends are up to. More than 4 in 5 surveyed (84%) also reported they have shared video clips of their pet(s) on social media platforms.
- Pets’ lives are not so secret. Eighty-eight percent of respondents have checked in on their pets and caught them doing something naughty such as sitting in a forbidden place (39%); making excessive noise (36%); eating human food that has been left out (33%); damaging furniture or accessories (30%); hiding or moving objects around the home (30%); relieving him/herself on the floor or on the furniture (26%); vomiting (19%); or getting stuck somewhere (17%).
- Pet owners want ways to find videos of their pets quickly. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of respondents reported it is a bigger hassle to search hours of video clips of their pet(s) with no way to filter them, than to not have any clips of pets because their camera only has live feed, and they would like a filter feature to help them find clips faster.
Comcast announced that it has launched a new “pet filter” feature on its Xfinity Camera to make it easier for customers to keep tabs on their pets. The filter uses artificial intelligence to sort through hours of footage to identify just those with pets in them out of the more than one hundred motion-triggered video clips a typical camera can generate each day.
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“We developed this feature to help our customers quickly filter motion-triggered events by people, vehicles, or pets because we wanted to bring them the video clips that matter most even faster,” said Dennis Mathew, vice president and general manager of Comcast’s Xfinity Home. “It’s an intelligent home security solution that enables our customers to easily check in on their loved ones from anywhere, anytime.”
