Dumpster the Dog

To set the scene

November 28, 2001 - “Dumpster” is a rowdy chow/lab mix with a lot of smarts. When he was a pup, plucked fresh out of a WAFFLE HOUSE dumpster, his favorite haunt was the doormat. There, he could spot strangers in the driveway and get a head start on barking. But, as summer faded and winter approached, Johnny Davidson (Dumpster’s loving master) had to shut the doors to conserve heat.

That’s when it all started

Johnny noticed that when he closed the front door, Dumpster started paying attention to the television monitor. Dumpster had never given much heed to television before! Of course, Johnny didn’t realize Dumpster knew more than the average dog.

Dumpster knew the television monitor gave a window to the outside world through a series of XCam2 Cameras.

When a friend approached, Dumpster alternately bounced between the front door and monitor, grinning and wagging his tail. When a stranger approached, Dumpster growled at the monitor and snarled at the door.

The real test

Suspicious, Johnny asked his vet about Dumpster’s curious behavior. Her explanation seemed quite logical: Dumpster was reacting to the sound broadcast over Johnny’s XCam2 with audio/video receiver.

Now, Dumpster has his own monitor. He keeps track of squirrels, the garbage man, and everything under the sun. Johnny doesn’t even watch the monitor much anymore. If something needs to be checked, Dumpster alerts him.

About the barking

How did the XCam2 cut down on barking? Simple.

Before getting his own monitor, Dumpster barked at just about everything. Now, if other dogs bark, Dumpster checks the monitor first. If it’s something worth barking about, Dumpster lets loose. But most of the time, the other dogs bark just to hear themselves talk… so Dumpster keeps quiet.

“It saves me a lot of noise,” says Johnny. “My friends didn't believe it till one at a time they saw him in action... and he is something.”

Do you have a story about your pet and an X10 product? Would you like to share? Write us at xzone@x10.com.

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