Having set up a feeding station to monitor hedgehogs in his garden, David wanted to take advantage of the latest technology to help him keep an eye on his spiky visitors using his smartphone. After a little research, he came across Ring Video Doorbells, which he realised would allow him to see which of the hedgehogs were visiting.
David set about installing Ring devices, equipped with HD cameras and night vision in sight of the feeding stations and began monitoring his prickly guests. Once installed, he would receive an alert straight to his phone whenever a hedgehog arrived at the feeding station. He could then open up the Ring app and use the Live view feature to see what was going on. By regularly watching their behaviour, David could spot if one of them were ill or injured. If he noticed an unwell hedgehog, he could pop out to his garden and retrieve the patient. For any minor injuries that he found, David could treat them at home but the world-famous Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital was only a short drive away, if needed.
David’s paw-fect plan
With animal welfare in mind, David discovered that a group of local volunteers - aptly named the “Dog Squad” - were spending their evenings trying to rescue stray dogs. The Dog Squad had been doing their best to locate strays in the area but without a clear plan and the tools to be effective, they were working every possible moment and often into the early hours of the morning. David realised that by using Ring devices he could help the team to become more efficient and effective in their pursuit of rescuing lost canines.
Armed with some humane dog traps, a collection of mobile wifi routers and a team of Stick Up Cams, David put his plan into action, joining the volunteers in their quest to track down and rescue any stray dogs in the area. Now, whenever the Dog Squad get a report of a stray dog, David heads to the rough location and sets up his kit. When he arrives, David baits his humane dog traps with a suitably enticing morsel. He then installs a couple of Stick Up Cams so that the trap is in plain view, before connecting them in the Ring app using the mobile wifi routers. With the trap and his Stick Up Cams in place, David can retreat and begin monitoring for animal activity.
A smarter way to save strays
This approach has revolutionised the way the Dog Squad does its work. Instead of traipsing the countryside in the hope that they get a sighting of a stray, they can now rely on David and his Ring devices to do the work much more effectively. Thanks to his Stick Up Cams, David can set their motion detection settings to alert him whenever a stray dog is enticed into area by the bait. When he receives an alert, he opens his Ring app to watch the dog’s movements in Live View. By monitoring lost dogs in this way, he can make sure that the moment one of the canines are caught, he can let the team know and then head to the site to retrieve the wayward pup. Once captured, the team can take the dog to the local vet to check for a microchip and attend to any injuries, before attempting to locate the dog’s owner or starting the rehoming process.
While David’s modern approach has made a real difference to the volunteers in the Dog Squad, the most important result is that frightened or even injured dogs, can be found more quickly and with as little stress as possible. The sooner the dogs can be found, the sooner they can be reunited with their owners or homed with a new family. For David and the Dog Squad, this is the best possible outcome.
At Ring, we’re happy that people like David recognise the versatility and potential in our devices and that Ring products can play a small part in making life easier for our customers and in this case, even animals in need.