Thursday, April 28, 2016

To Serve and Protect #spons

On Monday, we gave you a glimpse into the shenanigans that occur behind closed doors at a fellow pet bloggers home.

What you didn't see were the very real struggles facing this blogger, nor how her Vimtag camera has helped out.

As much as Maxwell loves his Chickadee Channel (and the occasional episode of Missouri Squirrels Gone Wild), still -- our Vimtag is being used mostly for entertainment.

For Amy of Sebastian the Sensitive Soul -- it's been used for much more than that.

Here's her story.

Several years ago, Amy chose to do something most of us cannot imagine doing: she opened her home to her parents, both of whom had diseases that would soon become debilitating. Her father had cancer. Her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

Two of Amy's favorite guys, husband Lee and Stilwell.

Amy and her husband, Lee, cared for her dad until the very end. I still marvel at the incredible compassion and strength that took. Now, almost two years later, they are faced with caring for an mother whose Alzheimer's has progressed considerably.

Amy & Lee also open their homes to elderly, less adoptable dogs.
Heloise passed away a few months before Amy left for training.
In the midst of it all, Amy changed careers. (Did we mention she was an undercover cop? How cool is that!) Several months ago, she hung up her badge for a different job, one she knew would require her to travel across the country for weeks of training.

Wouldn't you miss this sweet face, too?
Lowenstein wonders why mom has to go away for so long ....
It was too far to return on weekends, so Amy would essentially be away from her loved ones, both two-footed and four, for 5 solid weeks.

I don't know about you, but five weeks seems like an eternity when you're apart from loved ones. And I'd miss my furry family every bit as much as I would Marty. Amy was no different.

The Vimtag camera allowed her the freedom to check in on them any time of the day or night. It was easy to set up, and she could operate it anywhere her mobile phone had a signal. She'd check in on them during her classes, and at night when she was alone in her dorm room. It helped assuage her loneliness and allowed her to have a brief taste of home while so far away.

She got to spy on the Harvey Monster while she was hundreds of miles away.

I have to tell you that not all wireless IP cameras are as easy to set up as the Vimtag. (holy cow - some of them are awful, and hair-pulling impossible!!) Amy had initially bought a slightly less expensive brand, and she and I spent literally hours trying to get that piece of junk to work outside her home. Total fail.

In contrast, setting up the Vimtag took 5 minutes. If I hadn't already been in love with mine, this would have sealed the deal for me.



Amy's happy to be back home, and now she is using her Vimtag for another very important reason: she is able to check no her mom while she's at work. The peace of mind this brings her is something you cannot buy.



If you are ever find yourself wanting to purchase a wireless camera for your home, I highly recommend this camera. Here are a few of the features we especially like about it:

You can:
  • Pan/tilt camera through app with gestures 
  • Real time viewing
  • Two-way audio
  • Night vision
You can access your camera at any time either from the Vimtag app on your Android or iPhone, or on your computer at vimtag.com. You can move the camera around on your phone simply by swiping, and on the web app, there is a simple navigation pane you can click to move.

I love the fact you can talk through it too! (though Allie still wonders where my voice comes from!)

http://goo.gl/nxUOS3
____________
FCC Disclaimer: This is a review and we were compensated for the time it took to create this post and tell you about the Vimtag Fujikam. All opinions are our own. We enjoyed ourselves immensely and thank Vimtag for the opportunity. We hope you had fun, as well. 

_____________
***

27 comments:

  1. I gotta admit we should have had one of these for peeps papa who died recently of dementia. It would have made life so much better and less stressful. We have one now but peeps insists on filming the cat flap in case I bring mice in.... I mean, as though I would! purrs ERin

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's not easy to watch one's parents pass. Those cameras sound spiffy. I wish I had one as I'll be heading home for two weeks in June and I'm not sure the hubby will always remember everything - that way I could check!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have one of these and it's a pretty cool gadget. I am usually home all the time, but it is fun to play with. And to check in and see how things are going when I'm gone.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Amy is truly an amazing human and my human really admires her! The camera sounds awesome too - but I am hoping if my human ever gets it, it's not because she is going away for weeks and weeks!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sending tons of love and support to Amy and her family. Alzheimer's is such a painful and devastating disease for the person suffering as well as those around them. I'm glad the camera helped her while she was traveling for work.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know - we're just so humbled at her compassion and generosity. And we're so very glad the Vimtag has helped her so much!

      Delete
  6. Amy sounds like an amazing person!

    Do you think the Vimtag would work well as a baby monitor?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. YES! YES indeed!
      You would have to keep your phone app open, but if you plug your phone into a charger, then it's not an issue.
      And you can hear any little sound that is going on in the room simply by tapping the microphone button so audio is on, at the camera's end of things. You also can talk from your phone and the camera will broadcast what you say -- by pressing and holding the microphone button too. It totally messed with Allie's head, hearing my voice coming out of the camera ;-)

      Delete
  7. We know this is a post to promote Vimtag, but thanks for sharing all of this about Amy. Things we never knew. We always like getting to know our fellow bloggers better. XOCK, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo

    ReplyDelete
  8. guys....what a total lee awesum post today; frank lee we never thought "out side de box" when it came two a camera; now that we have..... N see it can be used for manee situationz in de home....de food servizz gurl will give this a second... & thurd thought.

    { God's strength, and blessings, two Amy & her familee ♥♥♥

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We know! We hadn't thought about it that way either, but it makes perfect sense! And it's helped put her mind at ease to be able to check on her during the day.

      Delete
  9. we are glad Miss Amy is getting some peace of mind :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. this was a beautiful and heartfelt way to share the camera that we have been lusting over for quite some time now. (((hugs))) and love to Amy catchatwithcarenandcody

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We know those hugs will mean so much to her :-)
      It's a very wonderful use of that camera, too. I just can't say enough good about it.
      And having owned and worked with two other (trashy) brands -- omigosh, the Vimtag is sooooooo much nicer!!!!

      Delete
  11. I didn't know that about Amy. Very admirable indeed. How cool she was an undercover cop! My goodness. Look forward to learning about her new job. Sending her and hubby and the Mom out POTP

    ReplyDelete

  12. what a terrific review. We still want one of those and maybe one day....

    ReplyDelete
  13. I love that you were able to help Amy with the camera. I can imagine how much comfort that was to her.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Amy certainly has her hands full and she is one amazing lady. How wonderful that this gadget has been so beneficial to her.

    ReplyDelete
  15. We have threatened my Gramma with setting up our Vimtag to keep an eye on her, but we haven't done it yet. It's a great camera for so many different things.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. we're um a bit SCARED at the thought of what OUR gramma would be up to if we spied on her - MOL! e think we'll stick to the Chickadee Channel. (hee!)

      Delete
  16. I would LOVE to have Vimtag for our home. What a great way to stay in touch when you're away from home. ♥ ♥

    ReplyDelete
  17. That's a wonderful use of the Vimtag! We're glad she can check in on everyone while she's away!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Thanks to Amy for allowing her story to be shared with all of us. What a great way for her to keep an eye on things...'specially her mom. We know the situation isn't easy for her.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Amy is an incredible person! I'm glad there is technology that can help people in situations like Amy's.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I am blessed to have Amy as a friend, and am so glad that this camera can help her so much in her daily life. What a thoughtful and compassionate way of telling everyone about both this camera, too!

    ReplyDelete
  21. And to think back in the day we only had those baby monitors, MOL!

    What a great way to make sue of that camera. Its so hard to look after ailing furmily members.
    And then to have to go away for such a long time. Wow.
    Amy sounds resourceful and so sweet to have her Mom at home whilst dealing with that horrid disease , Alzheimer's.
    Sending her and her husband lots of hugs, purrs and loving thoughts.

    ReplyDelete

Coolio! A comment? For US?