Dog owners feeling guilty for leaving their pets alone at home for too long will son be able to take comfort in the fact that at least the animals won’t be bored. They’ll be too busy changing TV channels and enjoying their favorite shows thanks to the world’s first dog-friendly remote control.
因狗狗長期獨守空房而深感愧疚的主人們很快就能安心啦！因為世上首款狗狗專用遙控器能讓它們擺脫無聊的生活。這些可愛的小家伙們恐怕要忙著換臺、忙著觀看最喜愛的電視節目了。

UK-based pet food brand Wagg apparently surveyed a number of pet owners and found that 91% of respondents said their canine friends regularly watch TV with them. Inspired by this interesting finding, the company teamed up with Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas, an expert in animal computer interaction design at the University of Central Lancashire, to create the world’s first remote control for dogs. They came up with a prototype for the ingenious device which is currently in a trial and analysis period.
據稱，英國寵物食物品牌沃格曾邀請眾多狗主參與調查，據反饋，有91%的主人稱狗狗朋友經常和他們一起看電視。受這個有趣現象的啟發，該公司聯手中央蘭開夏大學的動物計算機交互設計專家伊蓮娜·希斯基·道格拉斯，創造了首款狗狗專用遙控器。目前，他們已做出這個獨創設備的模型，不過該模型正處于試驗與分析階段。

The oversized remote is made of waterproof hard-wearing plastic, so while pooches can chew on it like any other toy, they’ll have a tough time actually causing any damage. It has three large, raised, paw-friendly buttons shaped like a bone, paw and ball which dogs can press to turn the TV on or off, change the channel and even “pawse” a show for later viewing, in case they need a potty break or a short nap. The buttons squeak when pressed and the device also features a hole through which a rope can be tied so dogs can carry it around the house.
尺寸巨大的狗狗專用遙控器由防水耐磨塑料制成，因而狗狗可以像咬其他玩具那樣咬它，它們很難真正損傷遙控器。遙控器有骨頭狀（開/關電視）、爪子狀（換臺）和網球狀（想小便或打盹時，可暫停以稍后觀看）的凸起按鈕，狗狗能很輕松地按壓這3個巨大的按鈕。按壓按鈕時，遙控器會發出吱吱聲，此外，該設備還專門配有繩孔，只要把繩子拴在狗狗身上，它們就能隨時隨地帶著遙控器。

“We know that people can feel a little guilty about leaving their dogs in a room alone for a short while — whether it’s to pop to the shops or cook dinner in the kitchen,” said Wagg spokesman Dan Reeves. “We wanted to create something that would keep the dog entertained and reassure owners of their well-being.”
沃格的發言人丹·里維斯說，“我們發現，主人急匆匆出門購物或在廚房做晚餐時，會對獨守空房的狗狗們懷有幾絲愧疚，盡管它們獨處的時間并不長。我們想推出某些既討狗狗歡心，又讓主人安心的產品。”

A remote control was apparently their best bet since research shows that canines are really into watching TV. “Our studies shows the average dog now watches more than nine hours of TV a week, showing technology is already playing a huge part in our pets’ lives,” Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas told the Sunday People.
這款遙控器顯然是他們的拳頭產品，因為研究顯示狗狗真的很愛看電視。在接受《星期日人民報》的訪談時，伊蓮娜·希斯基·道格拉斯表示“我們的研究顯示，目前，普通狗狗每周會看9個多小時的電視，這意味著科技正在給寵物的生活帶來巨大影響。”

After Wagg performs all its tests and perfects the dog-friendly TV remote control, the company plans to approach tech companies about getting the device into production. So you on your canine pet may soon be fighting over control of your TV set.
完成所有測試并優化狗狗專用電視遙控器以后，沃格打算聯手科技公司生產這一設備。所以不久之后，你可能就又多了一個和你爭搶電視的家庭成員。

英文來源：odditycentral
翻譯：周瑾（中國日報網愛新聞iNews譯者）
審校&編輯：丹妮