XCam2’s Wild Kingdom

August 9, 2001 - For years it was one of the most popular shows on television. We’d watch, as Marlin Perkins would sit on the shores of the lagoon sipping tea and talking to the camera while "my assistant Jim wades in and wrestles a crocodile." For Marlin, the show "Wild Kingdom" was quite tame, but for Jim it was another story.

Gina Ritchie was raised on the show. She says she never missed an episode if she could help it. She even remembers the day it premiered in 1963. From that moment on, Gina was an animal lover. Well Gina’s all grown up now, and she has a family of her own, complete with children and pets. And she’s got her own Wild Kingdom to contend with. With the help of the XCam2, she knows where every critter in her Wild Kingdom is, and what they’re doing. She can monitor them from anywhere in the office. That’s right, the office. Gina is a veterinarian, and has put all of her love for animals into keeping other’s pets happy and healthy.

"I don’t know when I fell in love animals," Gina says, "but I think it was because of watching that show when I was a kid." For starters, Gina has the XCam2 WideEye mounted in her waiting room so that she can see each of her patients as they enter. "I know each one of my patients, and as soon as they enter the office, I know they’re there." Even while she’s in with another patient, she can look out at her television and see who’s waiting for her. "I chose X10 because it was simple to set up, and very inexpensive," Gina says. And she keeps the WideEye in her office as well, so that while she’s out of the office, either going over charts or talking with pet owners, she can still keep her eye on how her patient is doing.

Gina also has several HawkEye motion sensors set up in various rooms throughout her office, and all of them are hooked up to chimes. "You never know when one of them is going to panic while sitting on the table and make a break for it," she says. "Sometimes when they bolt they outwit us and make a successful getaway." And we all know how difficult it can be to find a stray pet on the lam. "Bigger animals are easier to find" Gina says, "but those smaller animals can be very good at hiding." Which is why the motion sensors have been an invaluable asset to her practice. When any critter walks past the motion sensor, it sets off a chime in that room, and Gina knows immediately where her escapee is. And with the help of her camera, she can pinpoint its location before she goes into the room. That way she can go directly to the animal, without giving it a chance to make another break for it.

"I love being a vet" Gina says, "and I love that I can be so connected with my patients." Thanks to X10, she’s able to make sure that all of her patients are safe, and there’s no one wandering around where they shouldn’t be. If it works for a veterinarian, perhaps it could also work for a pediatrician.

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