Woman Checks Her House On Google Street View And Sees Something Hilarious

[catbyte]

"I’m glad to know Google takes my dog’s privacy very seriously ..."

BY LILY FEINN

It’s impossible to know exactly when Google’s Street View car will be passing through your neighborhood. But one dog’s well-timed appearance has turned into a cameo his mom won’t soon forget.

When Madelyn Rotella heard that Google had updated images of her house, she checked her address online and got a hilarious surprise.



“When I saw our dog Legend on the front lawn I just about died,” Rotella told The Dodo. “I was immediately showing all my family and friends how Legend was caught on camera.”

“He’s such a lively and funny dog,” Rotella added. “Everyone was just happy to see him there staring at the car all the way down the street.”

Rotella’s dog Legend loves to spend time outside on his long leash when the weather is warm — and last summer was no exception.

“Before we rescued Legend, he was a stray who lived most of his life outside,” Rotella said. “He absolutely loves laying out in the grass and soaking up the sun. We provide him a warm bed, heating, A/C, and plenty of comforts indoors, but he’d rather lay in the dirt!”



But it wasn’t just the fact that Legend was at the right place at the right time that delighted Rotella — Google went the extra step when it came to protecting the pup’s privacy.

Google’s Street View cars have been roaming the roads since 2007. In 2008, the company started automatically blurring identifiable faces of people on camera to protect their privacy.

And, it appears, dogs now qualify, too.



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On Sunday, Rotella shared the blurred images of her pup on Facebook with the caption, "I’m glad to know Google takes my dog’s privacy very seriously ..." In just a few days, her post has received over 33,000 likes and thousands of shares.



And the senior dog couldn’t be more deserving of the attention.

“Legend has completely lit up my life and my family’s. To see him go from a very underweight, shy dog to a loud, overly affectionate boy has been the greatest thing ever,” Rotella said. “My family and I are absolutely in love with Legend and do anything in our power to make him happy. Getting to rescue a senior dog with a difficult past and seeing him grow and smile has been totally life-changing.”



Rotella can only assume Google knows something about Legend’s past that she doesn’t.

“I’m still confused as to why they think Legend has a sensitive identity that needs protection,” Rotella said, “but I respect his need for privacy.”

https://www.thedodo.com/close-to-home/google-street-view-blurs-dog-face

[The Genealogist]

1. How funny

I myself have been immortalized on Google Maps Street View. They captured me walking out of my gym, so there I am, forever on Google Maps, a sweaty mess in gym wear and a St Louis Cardinals hat.

[dewsgirl]

2. Google street view caught my husband's coworkers wife, having an affair with her ex.

Her car is right in his driveway. The odds of the timing have to astronomical.

[enough]

3. Interesting how Google just assumed the right to do this massive surveillance of

all of us without anybody getting to decide. Before most of us even thought about it, it was a done deal already.

[dewsgirl]

4. It's crazy. That incident really made me think about things I may or may not have done, that I

wouldn't want anyone to know.

[SWBTATTReg]

6. Just curious...so anybody with a camera can't use the camera in the public domain? Do I ...

have to ask you for permission to use a camera should I go down your street or pass your place of work in my car? I'm just curious. Google had the same issues/concerns...I seem to recall the discussions when they initially started doing this.

[enough]

9. You were probably much more conscious than I was of the whole thing

when they started doing it. What sorts of discussions or decisions went into it?

[SWBTATTReg]

11. I don't know what the internal google discussions that went into it, but there were privacy...

issues brought up by people too back then.

[FM123]

5. Oh no, I wonder if google has ever caught me

hiding empty cartons of secret ice cream in my neighbor's recycling bin.....

[angstlessk]

7. They BLURRED the dogs face LOL

[catbyte]

10. They've done it with a cow, too.

Link to tweet

[SharonAnn]

8. They caught me stepping off the porch, taking my dog for a walk.

[Talitha]

12. They caught my brother mowing the lawn, lol....

Google street view is great for armchair tourism.
I've 'walked' through London, Florence, Paris, and many other cities.
Wander and window shop - - great fun!

[Leith]

13. I do that, too!

I've "walked" around the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, along the Seine in Paris, and a couple other places. I like the photo spots that people have posted. I've looked at Catalina Island and the Grand Canyon that way.

It's interesting (and heartbreaking) to view an area that got hit by a hurricane to see what it used to look like and compare to the after pictures. I did that last fall.

My favorite thing I use google maps for is when I have to drive in an unfamiliar part of town. I check what the route looks like and what landmarks to look for.

[Iggo]

14. They caught our house with the garage door open, showing some identifiable stuff inside...

...including my 80-something-year-old Dad...lol.

[Shrek]

15. "a cameo his mom won't soon forget"

She's not his mom.

Ugh. This silliness needs to stop.