Have a Lonely Dog? TV Show Can Help

For years, dog owners have left a television or radio on to comfort their pets while they are away, said Dr. Nick Dodman, director of the Animal Behavior Clinic in Department of Clinical Sciences at

A new television network takes that a step further by providing programming aimed at keeping dogs relaxed, stimulated and entertained while their owners are away, according to a report in a Monterey, Calif. newspaper.

 Dodman said that according to research on the canine brain, with analog television, dogs could only see a flickering screen. New technologies such as digital TV, high-definition cameras, and enhanced production have changed the way dogs perceive the images, while big screens allow them to see from anywhere in a room, Neumann said.

Filmmakers are calling DogTV a new breed of television—an eight-hour block of on-demand cable TV programming designed to keep your dog relaxed, stimulated and entertained while you are at work.

To get the right footage, cameramen got on their knees and shot low and long. "I shot from the point of view of the dog," said Gilad Neumann, chief executive officer of DogTV.

In production, they had to mute colors, alter sound and add music specially written for dogs. There will be no commercials, no ratings and no reruns, although some might argue that watching a slug crawl is hardly exciting new programming.

One million subscribers with two cable companies have access to DogTV in San Diego. It is doing so well that parent company PTV Media plans to offer it nationally in the next several months, Neumann said.