Robotic dog sitter Furbo let's you remotely monitor and play with your pooch

So, you have a dog and you have to leave it at home alone when you go to work. Leaving out services such as doggy daycare or daily walkers, how do you keep your beloved pooch from getting lonely and bored?

One suggestion, via an Indiegogo fundraiser, is the Furbo – a robotic dog sitter with a camera including night-vision, a barking alert, a treat thrower and a microphone.

You can talk to and listen to, your pet, soothing it when it’s upset and entertaining it with launchable treats remotely by a smart-phone app.

It also suggests you can make your pet a social media star, although that might depend on the pup in question.

It’s from an international start-up called Tomofun: a pet tech company where nearly all staff members have a photo with an adorable animal. The fundraising has been a rousing success, with a whopping $US466,938 ($623,456) raised.

It’s not all good news though, with a recent Gizmodo review noting that the “both the microphone and speaker are of relatively low quality”. However the reviewer had the bonus experience of discovering – via the barking alert – that their landlord had sauntered into the apartment unauthorised.

So there’s also the added advantage of some unexpected home security, or at least finding out what it is your dog likes to bark at.

You can launch treats and talk to your dog via the Furbo. Photo: Furbo Indiegogo Fundraiser

Similar-ish products include a self-loading puzzle feeder called the Foobler and the Petzi treat cam which also promises pet interaction, but doesn’t seem to fling the kibble as far across the room.

You can pre-order the Furbo, due for delivery in August 2016, via their website.