produced an even stronger reaction<\/a>. \u201cShe became very focused on the screen and tried to catch the characters with her paws. Sometimes, she simply sat there watching very carefully without taking her eyes off the screen,\u201d says owner Erika. \u201cWe\u2019re used to her watching animal documentaries, but seeing her try to catch the characters in Sealook was something we hadn\u2019t seen before.\u201d<\/p>\nRio, a six-month-old golden retriever owned by Melly Roman in Houston, Texas, is another fan. \u201cWe have the TV on for background noise and he never normally watches,\u201d she says. \u201cBut he started barking when one of the seals came really close to the screen. We tried again later and he sat and watched a couple of episodes.\u201d The clip helped take Rio\u2019s Instagram following from about 115 to nearly 4,000.<\/p>\n
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This, I tell Ozzy, is exactly the sort of behaviour that could help boost his own Instagram following of 137. Watching television is a far better party trick than barking at his own reflection or stealing hair scrunchies from his human mum. I\u2019d offer to become his social media manager, but I don\u2019t have any interest in freebies from Bonio.<\/p>\n
Still, before I write off Ozzy as a hopeless influencer, what are cats and dogs seeing when they watch Sealook? One possible reason is the colour palette: it\u2019s all white snow, pale-blue ice and brightly coloured seals. Cats and dogs see blues and yellows particularly well, which perhaps makes Sealook about as easy to ignore as a bowl of Whiskas or Pedigree Chum.<\/p>\n
Dr David Williams, an associate lecturer in veterinary ophthalmology at the University of Cambridge, thinks movement may be just as important as colour. \u201cCats and dogs are particularly interested in movement because they\u2019re interested in chasing a mouse or another prey item,\u201d he says. \u201cThey\u2019re also crepuscular \u2013 most active around dawn and dusk \u2013 so movement in low light matters particularly to them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sound may matter too. Dr Emily Blackwell, a companion animal behaviour expert at Bristol Veterinary School, says the seals\u2019 \u201chigh-pitched squeaking noises may mimic the sounds of prey species \u2013 rodents \u2013 and also sound very similar to the squeaky toys that many of our pets have\u201d.<\/p>\n
Rich Pelley and Ozzy settle down to watch Sealook. Photograph: courtesy Rich Pelley<\/p>\n
Dr Freya Mowat, an associate professor of veterinary ophthalmology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who studies how dogs watch television, says dogs seem particularly drawn to animal-like movement. \u201cMy own research has shown that dogs prefer watching dogs to humans,\u201d she says. \u201cSeals? I don\u2019t know, but they are closer to dogs than people! Cartoons are great content for dogs: high contrast, lots of movement, nice fun music \u2013 it\u2019s the whole package.\u201d<\/p>\n
Was any of this deliberate? Apparently not, says Leah Yeon, communications lead at The Pinkfong Company, the South Korean co-producer of Sealook. \u201cSeeing cats and now dogs as well becoming so absorbed in Sealook has been a fun and unexpected surprise.\u201d<\/p>\n
The show\u2019s simple snowy landscapes, vivid colours and short, repetitive movements were designed for audiences of children, although the team suspects the same ingredients may help explain its appeal to pets. The trend began with cats, then dogs jumped on the bandwagon. \u201cWe didn\u2019t set out to make a show for animals,\u201d says Yeon, \u201cbut it continues to be fascinating \u2013 and very amusing \u2013 to see it connect with this new audience.\u201d<\/p>\n
Which leaves one final experiment. Williams suggested turning the sound off to see whether Ozzy\u2019s interest changes. Right then, Ozzy. Volume down.<\/p>\n
Nothing. I turn the sound back on and, finally, Ozzy looks up. A seal slides across the ice; his ears prick up. Another squeaks and he edges towards the screen. At last! I grab my phone, visions of 4,000 followers dancing before me. But seconds later, Ozzy wanders off in search of a hair scrunchie or bull penis. Sealook, it seems, has yet to earn his seal of approval. Doggy stardom will have to wait.<\/p>\n
Sealook is on Netflix<\/p>\n