New devices allow owners to interact with pets while away

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- There are new devices that aim to allow animal lovers the opportunity to interact with their pets from anywhere in the world.

Rolling around, making a mess, tearing through the house? That, in a nutshell, is the life of a dog, when they're bored, alone and looking for attention.

When he or she is hungry, it can get even worse.

However in an age of social media, there's now a new tool that's linking people to their pets and actually lets them interact, when the minutes apart turn into hours away.

It's called Pet Chatz - the brainchild of Braden Kroll and his father. It was born from that single experience. My dad was Skyping with my sister and the dog ran into the room because he recognized Molly's voice," said Kroll.

The device allows a user to connect with their pet from anywhere in the world with their computer, smart phone or tablet over a home network.

It allows users to see and speak to their dog, who can see and hear them, too.

"The response has been absolutely amazing. It's been so overwhelming," said Brooke Martin, IC Pooch inventor.

Brooke Martin, who is just 14 by the way, came up with a similar device called IC Pooch, which should be on the market by summer 2014.

Like Pet Chatz, her unit does more than meets the eye.

With the push of a button, the dog gets a treat, as though you were there to give it to them.

And therein lies what experts say could be this product's most promising function.

Imagine if that weren't a dog on the end of the phone, but a doctor who could talk to his or her patients, evaluate their condition and dispense medicine as they saw fit.

"We are really excited about the medication management piece of this down the road," said Kroll.

It's called tele-medicine. Hospitals in a number of states are already using video technology to bring doctors into operating rooms around the world where they can see and interact with other doctors.

However devices like Pet Chatz and IC Pooch have the ability to quite literally bring that technology home in an affordable way.

When they hit the market, the products will retail for less than $350.

For the elderly, unable to travel to a doctor, or anyone unable to regulate their own medication, it could be a life changing wave of the future.

If that happens, as doctors think it will sooner rather than later, you can thank a 14-year-old, who just loves her dog so much, she couldn't bear to be apart.

Both Pet Chatz and IC Pooch are available for pre-order.

For more information visit:

- Pet Chatz

-IC Pooch