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I'm undecided with this story about a man from Milford Haven, West Wales who has created a machine linked to his Twitter, to feed his dog!
I'm not sure if this is barmy, complete genius or has a degree of animal welfare to discuss.
IT consultant Nat Morris, aged 30 invented his machine to feed his dog "Toby" treats, every time he sent a message to his twitter feed (@FeedToby.)
Mr Morris says "Toby absolutely loves it. At first he didn't know what was going on, but now he sits underneath, wagging his tail and waiting for the treats to drop."
The pet owner spends a great deal of time working away from home and isn't always able to feed four year old, border terrier Toby!
The machine features a camera, mini computer and a buzzer alerts Toby to his feeding time.
A message is sent to the mini computer through twitter, a small motor kicks in and opens a trap door underneath a container of kibble, releasing it down a tube and into a bowl below.
Mr Morris says he can send Toby a treat from anywhere in the world and is considering patenting his system.
What bothers me, is nothing in this story suggests that Toby has everyday interaction between humans, in the form of being fed by hand, toileted, given love etc being played with or taken out for a walk.
So Mr Morris, yes your invention is great in theory and I'm sure your machine does its job for you just fine, but what happens when there is a power cut, does your dog stave to death?
What happens when Toby wants to go to the toilet, will you invent a self opening door or a robot to poop scoop when you are on business for a couple of days in China! Don't worry Toby, your daddy doesn't mind you walking around in your own mess, as long as he can feed you, no mention of fresh water though!
So I invite Mr Morris of Milford Haven, West Wales to allow The Metro, who ran this story in their paper today, to print an update, to put responsible pet owners minds to rest, because I worry that leaving it up to inventions to look after our pets, is some what disturbing.
Pets need love and interaction, If you cant be there for your dog everyday Mr Morris, I suggest you allow someone with enough time to care for your pouch instead of inventing machines to alleviate the responsibility.
Of course if you make certain that whilst you are on business "anywhere in the world" that Toby is walked and cared for by a human being, then I stand corrected.
You will understand though, that there was no mention of this in the original story!
What do you think?
