pets

The cancer ward at Seattle Children's Hospital will be overrun with cats tomorrow. Lots and lots of cats.

Normally, this would be extremely problematic in a sterile medical environment, but not in this case. Young cancer patients with immunities too low to participate in pet therapy will get to physically connect with the felines via an interactive online playroom. Rabbits, puppies, and goats too.

They'll do so via a live interface set up by Seattle Children's and Boise, Idaho-based Reach-in, which created the interactive technology that lets remote viewers control fluffy robotic cat toys in real time. It's not the same as holding a furry friend, but it might be the next best thing for these kids, some of whom must remain in total isolation while they battle cancer. … Read more

DogVacay, the site that matches people who need a dog sitter with people who are interested in caring for dogs in their homes, is growing faster than a kibble-guzzling puppy.

The company, which launched in March and has about 8,000 hosts signed up on its network, recently hit $1 million in payments to its hosts. It's just received a $6 million investment from Benchmark Capital, co-founder and CEO Aaron Hirschhorn revealed today.

The site, which acts like an Airbnb for dogs, offers an affordable -- and more social -- alternative to kennels for dog owners, while giving hosts … Read more

A while back we urged you to install an iPhone app called Lost Kidz. Once installed, the app would alert you if a nearby parent had lost a child, providing critical details to ensure his or her safe return. And as a parent, for a yearly fee of $0.99, you could send out alerts should your child wander off and go missing.

With Hurricane Sandy having wreaked havoc through much of the northeast, and with thousands of pets and their owners having been separated, a similar app to help reunite owners with their lost companions will prove to be … Read more

Prepare to witness a tantalizing glimpse at our future robot overlords.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency yesterday released a stunning video showing how an autonomous robot can navigate and jump over obstacles with great ease.

In the clip, the Pet-Proto robot -- a predecessor to DARPA's Atlas robot -- traverses a simulated hallway containing a very tall step and a thin walkway. Pet-Proto easily uses its strong arms to balance itself as it climbs a step, then perfectly leaps down with a thud. The highly agile walker stretches its legs to continue its journey along the thin edges of a gutted hallway floor. … Read more

Specialty countertop kitchen appliances have evolved at a spectacular rate. These clamshell contrivances that populate countertops everywhere have become common enough that they can produce everything from cupcakes to empanadas at a moment's notice. That's all fine and well for the humans in the family, but our four-legged friends want to get in on the action, too.

Fido can finally join in the fun with the Nostalgia Electrics DBM200 Dog Biscuit Treat Maker Kit ($29.99). The familiar shape of this appliance doesn't hide people food this time around, instead housing doggie delights sure to make our … Read more

The App Store is full of games the let you pet cute little animals, but most of them differ only by how nice the cats or dogs have been drawn. But have you heard about annolys? What about pogonips? If not, it's time to visit the Monster Pet shop. It's a well-designed game disguised as a store management simulator, with charming little monsters and onscreen tips disguised as Uncle Oscar, your guide.

It's so nice to see a good story and great drawings, even if they are monsters. Monster Pet Shop has one clear goal: to keep … Read more

One of the hardest things about taking a summer vacation is figuring out what to do with your pets while you're away. A pack of new Web sites help dog owners connect with hosts willing to take care of their pooches.

Think of them as Airbnbs for canines.

Dog Vacay is one such site, founded by Aaron Hirschhorn, who started the company after his own experience with boarding his dogs in a more or less standard way.

"When my wife and I were traveling, we would put our dogs, Rocky and Rambo, in a kennel," Hirschhorn says. &… Read more

DogVacay, a startup that matches people who need a dog sitter with people who are interested in caring for dogs in their homes, is getting additional first round venture capital funding, the company was set to announce on Thursday.

The site, which reminds me of an Airbnb for boarding dogs, has received an undisclosed amount from Andreessen Horowitz, a VC firm that led a $112 million investment in Airbnb almost a year ago and has also invested in Facebook, Twitter and Zynga. DogVacay raised more than $1 million in a seed round of funding in March from First Round Capital, … Read more

TOKYO--If you're in love with your iPhone, Bandai's Smartpet lets it really walk all over you.

Shown off at the 2012 International Tokyo Toy Show, which opened to the public yesterday, Smartpet turns your iPhone or iPod Touch into a robotic canine companion.

The pooch can walk around (top speed: three steps per second), sit up, and wag its tail. The app shows a variety of cartoon faces on the touch screen, or whatever face you want to give it. … Read more