TV for dogs booms but are they watching?

TV for dogs booms but are they watching?5 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleDavid SilverbergTechnology Reporter, TorontoLuca CaranoLuca Carano and his dog LunaSix years ago, when Luca Carano was living in Barcelona with his then-girlfriend, they decided to leave their dog Luna home alone as they went out for dinner. They usually took the puppy with them, but on that night they left her at home."I was thinking right then, she's going to be bored and lonely, there should be something on YouTube for Luna," says Carano, a pilot who now lives in Bologna, Italy.He decided to act on his idea. He created the YouTube channel Siesta Dog TV which features videos of dogs, for dogs, in colours they can see best.Cartoons as long as 10 hours each feature illustrated dogs playing around in an animated New York City, or dogs watching duck ponds.Calming classical-like or ambient music accompanies the images on the screen, all made to relax dogs.One of Carano's videos attracted around 3.5 million views."I've seen how Luna enjoys these videos, and I get so many comments from people who say they feel great leaving their dog alone with my videos because it calms them," Carano adds.Luca CaranoDozens of channels stream TV for dogsOver the six years since Carano started out, TV for dogs has snowballed.A host of channels cater for the increasing number of pet owners who worry about leaving their dogs at home."People are more closely attached to their dogs than ever before and they treat them like children and worry about leaving them alone," says Nicholas Dodman, the director of the Center for Canine Behaviour Studies in Connecticut."There's also more awareness these days about separation anxiety affecting dogs," he says.That's creating demand for dog-friendly TV - other channels include Four Paws TV, Cartoon Dog Music, Puppy Dreamscape and Sleepy Cats.Some videos show puppies frolicking or close-ups of squirrels, o...