Living a dog’s life can be a treat, thanks to DOGTV channel
I don’t mind sitting on the couch and watching DOGTV, the only TV channel with shows produced exclusively for dogs, with my best cocker-doodle friend, Lilly.
It’s fun watching videos of dogs playing by the beach, chasing a ball, going for rides in a car and doing all sorts of fun dog things. Lilly loves the videos, and it’s a nice bonding moment for us.
But if Lilly starts hogging the remote, that’s it, no TV for a week. I’m the human in the house, and I wear the pants around here. Plus, Lilly doesn’t have opposable thumbs, and she’s always accidentally changing the channel to “Sewing With Nancy” on Channel 8.
DOGTV is a 24/7 channel that runs wall-to-wall short videos (2 to 4 minutes long) of dogs doing all sort of dog activities. The videos fall into three categories:
Relaxation: Videos designed to calm dogs down, make them feel secure and take away anxiety.
Stimulation: Dogs fetching sticks and balls, playing in the park and running on the beach, like Pam Anderson in “Baywatch” bouncing in slow
motion.
Exposure: Videos with situations that normally frighten dogs and make them anxious, like vacuum cleaners, fireworks or the dreaded doorbell ringing. The idea is to show dogs that there’s nothing to fear, so they won’t go berserk when a doorbell rings on “Modern Family.” I think shows do that on purposed to mess with viewers.
“Lilly, stop barking! It’s just the TV!”
DOGTV debuted in 2012, and it’s available on most program providers, including Comcast and DirecTV. The subscription fee is about $5 a month. Last week, DOGTV became available on Comcast’s “On Demand” feature, so you can watch the doggy baby-sitter channel anywhere on most devices. Just call your cable provider and ask if it carries DOGTV and for how much. Because it’s a pay channel … no commercials.
DOGTV was created by Ron Levi, who heads up the content division of the channel. I asked him, did people think you were crazy when you said, “How about a TV channel with programming exclusively for dogs?”
“They still think I’m crazy,” he laughed. “But I knew that people love their dogs and how big an industry pets are in the U.S. I also knew that people who work were leaving their televisions on during the day for their dogs. I figured that a TV channel for dogs could be successful.”
Levi and a team of animal behaviorists spent three years researching dogs’ vision and hearing, how they react to stimulation and how they deal with stress, boredom and loneliness. The channel launched as a free service in San Diego, Calif. One year later, DOGTV went national, plus distribution in Japan, Germany, France, South Korea, China, England and Israel. DOGTV has deals to develop shows with Animal Planet and Discovery Family channels.
The problem with leaving on other TV channels, even Animal Planet, for your dog is, they may show programs that frighten your best friend, like lions chasing down wildebeests and eating them, or crocodiles chomping rats (disgusting) or Miss Hathaway chasing butterflies on “Beverly Hillbillies” reruns.
Billy Bob Thornton went on the “Today” show and raved how he watches DOGTV with his two Cavalier King Charles spaniel pups. “It’s like a moment of Zen,” he said.
I’ve got a feeling that Billy Bob’s whole life is a moment of Zen.
DOGTV has more than 2,000 videos of dogs. The channel has the seal of approval from the Humane Society and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Levi said that DOGTV videos may look a little weird to humans because they’re made especially for dogs.
“Dogs see and hear differently than humans,” Levi said. “Their eyesight isn’t nearly as good as ours. They don’t see colors like we do, either. Dogs can’t see greens and reds, but do see blues and yellows and black and white. So our videos accentuate those colors. Because dog’s hearing is much better than ours, we keep the volume lower than shows for people. We tell people to keep the volume set for what they normally have, and we set the volume lower for your dog.”
By keeping the volume down, dogs will get accustomed to hearing doorbells and thunder and fireworks without losing their minds. And bowels. When there’s loud thunder and lightning and I’m away from the house, I know there’s a treat waiting for me when I get home.
I’m going to need a mop, two rolls of paper towels, a gas mask and three bottles of Febreze here!
Levi said dogs who watch DOGTV are more confident and happier, and less likely to experience stress and separation anxiety.
How come when I hold Lilly up to a mirror, I get nothing. No reaction. But put her in front of DOGTV, and suddenly, she’s a couch potato and telling me to microwave a bag of popcorn?
“That’s because there’s no action when a dog looks in a mirror,” Levi said. The dog doesn’t know that’s him in the mirror, and the dog is just standing there. Dogs like action. They like to watch other dogs doing things, like running or chasing a ball. Dogs don’t have a preference for any breeds or size of dogs to watch, but they seem to like watching young ones more.”
Hey, that’s Channel 2 News’ deal!
Here’s an odd one: Levi said that cats seem to enjoy watching DOGTV almost as much as dogs do. Maybe it’s research, and it’s true what Michael Corleone said in “Godfather Part 2.”
“My father taught me many things here. He taught me, keep your friends close but your enemies closer.”
Odder still: Levi does not own a dog.
“My wife and I are expecting our first baby. Maybe down the road we will get a dog, but right now we’re concentrating on the baby’s arrival.”