Who needs humans when there are pets to love us?
Valentine’s Day is here in full force, screaming at us with flowers, chocolates, creepy Cupids with arrows, and more. Cast aside the commercialism of the day of love by casting aside your human companions and turning your attention to your animal pals! I mean, get this, according to a survey from our pals at Petcube, 65% of people surveyed said they prioritize their pets over their romantic partner (just @ me next time, Petcube!). Feel the unconditional love only a pet can provide by celebrating Valentine’s Day with the animal in your life!
If you asked me anywhere else, I’d tell you spending Valentine’s Day with your animal starts and stops at petting them, holding them close, giving them treats, playing with toys, and reminding them just how good they are. Since this is iMore, we’re gonna add a little spin by giving things a tech angle.
Here are some ways technology can help you spend Valentine’s Day with your pet!
Away from home? Camera time!
If you’re not able to be home for Valentine’s Day, you can use a WiFi-enabled camera to tune in to the action while you’re away.
I have a Logitech Circle 2 camera in my home that keeps a close eye on the front and back doors of my house when I’m away. Thankfully, I’ve never had to use it to encourage a crook to bounce, so it’s mostly served as a way for me to check in on the puppers when I’m not there in person.
The $ 180 Circle cam (and many other WiFi-connected smart cameras) features both a microphone and a speaker, so you can communicate with your puppers (or cats or pet pigs or ferrets) to remind them how much you love ’em.
If you’ve got a pet with separation anxiety, this is also a good way to check in for soothing when needed.
Wi-Fi-connected smart toy
You don’t have to stop at just chatting with your pet these days. There are some pretty incredible “smart” (read WiFi-connected and app-controlled) products on the market for your animal companion.
Furbo Dog Camera
The $ 180 Furbo Dog Camera lets you not only check in on your pet pal while you’re away from home, it also lets you hit a button to deliver a delicious treat! You simply refill the camera with treats and you can drop ’em for your pet at any time. I foresee this being an issue with my two dogs — my chihuahua/rat terrier mix is pretty feisty and she’d probably try to claim all the treats for herself — but I can imagine this’d be a pretty nifty little device for a single-pet home. Load up your pet with heart-shaped treats for Valentine’s Day if you’re not able to be there in person!
Petcube also makes a $ 170 Wi-Fi-connected treat camera.
Petcube Camera
There’s also the Petcube Camera, which serves as a Wi-Fi-connected camera and pet toy.
You can use the microphone and speaker to chat with your animal while you watch them with the camera. Best of all, it features a built-in laser that you can control with the companion app, so you can enjoy a bit of catch-the-laser while you’re away from home.
With the $ 150 Petcube, there’s no reason to be away from home to use the built-in laser. You and your pet can play for hours while you’re drowning out the day of love.
Subscription boxes are fun!
While it’s only tangentially related to tech, I can’t pass up one of the best ways to give your pets a little Valentine’s Day love: a subscription box!
I recently subscribed to BarkBox and my dogs seem to have figured out the sound a BarkBox makes when it’s being opened, ’cause they get excited every time I begin to open the box. A $ 29 monthly subscription to BarkBox nets your pupper(s) a toy or two and a few packages of treats. January’s box, called “The Knights of the Hound Table,” featured a princess squeaky toy, a dragon squeaky toy, and three medieval-themed bags of treats!
If you have a cat, you can check out The Dollar Pet Club, which features toys and treats for cats.
If you have a rabbit, a parrot, or a pet rat, you can check out the Exotic Pet subscription boxes over at Cratejoy. If I still had pet rats, I’d definitely subscribe to the RatPak.
How are you and your pet spending Valentine’s Day?
Are you spending Valentine’s Day with your pet pal? Their unconditional love is unmatched! Enjoy your day and feel free to share your story in the comments below or over on Twitter!
Updated February 2018: This article was updated to include new links, prices, and ideas for celebrating Valentine’s Day with your fluffs.
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