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Permalink Reply by Gromit, Sparkle, and Doug on February 24, 2011 at 4:48am

Several years ago I came home from work and found my bed partially unmade.  Hmmm...  I had two Corgis, Watson and Tinsel, and neither would rat out the other. 

The next day I came home and the bed covers were pulled back and my pillow was on the floor and covered with corgi fur.  Double hmmm...   So I set up my Logitech webcam which had a motion sensing feature in the software.  Anytime the camera saw movement it would take a still shot and save it. 

That evening I got home from work, the bed was unmade again, but I had the photographic evidence to bust Watson for not only rifling my pillow but also sniffing and and sitting on the table next to the bed.   I showed him the pictures and he was properly chagrined so I didn't press charges. 

After that I started closing the door to the bedroom before I left for work.  I wish I still had the photos but somehow I seem to have lost them.  Watson's gone to the bridge now, as has Tinsel, but their legend lives on. 

Anyway, you might check your webcam software, it may have that motion sensing feature built in.  Strategically place your laptop or the camera for the PC and you might get a little glimpse into the secret world of the Corgi.

 

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Permalink Reply by John Wolff on February 25, 2011 at 11:09pm

Gosh, I wish I lived closer to the school.  I'd set up a rig like this to bust the graffiti vandals.

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Permalink Reply by Emily & Scout on February 24, 2011 at 5:14am

Also, the webcam should be able to record directly to your computer (a whole 8ish hour video) then it's easy just to skim through and watch for any action. This way, you won't have to buy any extra software.

I did it, and all Scout did was sleep on my bed for almost the whole time. When you are through you can just delete the video.  Make sure that it is set to low resolution so it doesn't take up a whole lot of space on the computer.

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Permalink Reply by David on February 24, 2011 at 8:08am

Use a network camera like this.  It can record or you can watch it live on your iPhone or notebook PC.  It is wireless so you can place it anywhere you need.

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on February 24, 2011 at 8:20am

Hi Julia,

 

Setup your MacBook:

 

1. Install Skype for mac

2. Register it with your first email account 

3. Go to "Skype", "Preference", "Calls", select "Auto-answer Calls"

 

Setup the PC

1. Download Skype for PC

2. Register it with your second email address

3. Add your "FIRST" email address as a contact and name it "home"

4. Call your "home"

 

GO Back to your mac

1. a window will pop out on your mac and ask you to accept the new contact (Your PC Skype account)

2. approve the account

3. plug in your Magsafe cord to the wall

4. place your MacBook in a strategic area where you can observe.

 

You can also call home while on the road with an iphone, andriod, symbian...etc.

 

I don't like ip base webcam on Thinkgeek.com because it is easily hackable, teenagers can tap into your ip and watch what YOU are doing. Stick with Skype, it is safer and you can "Talk" to your corgis too :)

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Permalink Reply by Jessica on February 24, 2011 at 11:39am

Sam - I've got to say that idea is genius! I use Skype for work so much that it never crossed my mind to use it for any other purpose.

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Permalink Reply by mindy cheng on March 3, 2011 at 5:59am

We use Skype for spying too.  My fiance and I study on the computer (practice problems) and have a pop-up to watch Cooper.  It only works though if the dog is only allowed to roam in a limited amount of space.  In this picture, he's in the cage.

In this one, he's allowed to roam the entire hallway plus the bathroom door (top left) is open for him to go whenever he needs to.

There is a small blind spot of hallway space to the right though.  We just have to trust he doesn't do anything bad around there.

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Permalink Reply by Edison on February 24, 2011 at 9:23am

When we first let Edison loose in our bedroom (as a preliminary to letting him loose in the house) we set up a webcam to take a picture of him every 10 seconds and to collect these photos into a time lapse movie.  For the first day or two, he only left his crate to get a drink of water.  By the end of the week, we were catching him taking his daily nap on our bed, the only no-go zone in the house!  I think I have this video uploaded on the "Corgis Caught in Crime" page somewhere.  ;)

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Permalink Reply by Julia on February 25, 2011 at 12:24am

Great ideas! Sam's idea actually made me laugh. All that to catch a naughty dog. Still, I think Oliver deserves it. He is a sneak thief, and Lilli  might be picking on him. It's worth a try.

What's funny here is that Oliver is fascinated by my laptop. He sits on my lap, staring at the cursor and moving parts of games, until he just can't stand it any longer and pounces, trying to catch the image. Imagine if the computer talked back to him.

Now, where to put it?

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Permalink Reply by John Wolff on March 3, 2011 at 1:30pm

We just put our cat, Jack the Tripper, on the payroll.

The dogs, of course, inform on the cat.

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