Paper notebook
A paper log captures sequence and context without adding a new device cue to the room. Date the page, write in order, leave a margin for the follow-up note.
Room sketch
A small line drawing of the room records distance between animal, person, device, and routine site better than a photograph. The desk values them disproportionately.
Timer note
Approximate duration matters more than exact second-level timing. “About forty minutes” is more useful than a stopwatch reading because it survives memory.
Redaction template
Strip account names, exact addresses, and private messages from screenshots before sending. The editorial notes page describes what stays and what goes.
Temperature note
For warm-device cases, mention whether the surface felt warm and whether alternate warm sites were available in the same room. This single field has rescued more entries than any other.
Follow-up sheet
A second-week note distinguishes a pattern from a one-time event. A handful of dated lines is enough.
Always-on cameras
Hidden cameras change the room more than they change the animal. They also produce material that the desk cannot read without extensive redaction.
Pressure mats and trackers
Most tracking devices count steps that mean nothing in a household setting and add a new cue the animal will work around. A diary outperforms them for our purposes.
Bait-style experiments
Placing food or objects to provoke a reaction is not an observation. We do not log it.