We're all a bunch of voyeurs, aren't we?

How else do you explain the success of "The Real World," or the fact that "Big Brother" has lasted an astonishing, agonizing 10 seasons?

And though I cringe at the thought of the nanny variety, I enthusiastically support another "cam" taking the Web by storm: the "puppy cam."

A San Francisco couple has set up a camera aimed 24/7 at their six Shibu Inu puppies. Posted on site Ustream.com, it serves as a kind of online video diary of, simply, the puppies' lives.

Those lives consist of what you'd expect from new puppies -- eat, sleep, fight with siblings.

It may not sound like must-see TV, but it has got me, and millions of others, captivated.

(Fortunately for my productivity, my work computer doesn't have the software to allow me to watch them throughout the day. I swear.)

Aside from a deep love for cute shoes and a good manicure, I've never been what I affectionately refer to as a "girly" person.

I'd rather watch "Tommy Boy" over "Sense and Sensibility." I'd rather get gum than flowers.

It's my loveable sister who is more likely to tear up at Hallmark commercials or the sight of an elderly couple holding hands.

But man, puppies just floor me. Who knew?

This sensitivity is shared through another kind of open voyeurism, practiced loudly in our newsrooms: the police scanner. It's no secret the most upsetting scanner traffic involves animals.

Report of someone shot? Cue a steady reporter zipping a jacket and readying a pen.

Report of a dog shot? Cue loud, collective outrage and whimpered sighs.

Never having had a dog as a child, or as a single 20-something with an unpredictable schedule, I don't know what it's like to care for one.

So instead, I watch them. See the Shibu Inus frolic. See them fight over a stuffed toy pumpkin. See them sleep.

I never figured watching a gaggle of puppies trying to snooze in a cramped space would be so calming, so enjoyable.

At certain times, there have been more than 20,000 people watching the three male and three female pups online.

Did all those people want a dog for Christmas as kids, too?

Or maybe it's that the puppies, like reality TV, represent a departure from our everyday lives.

We tune into "The Hills," because it's just crazy to think ridiculously good-looking, privileged people should have any problems, certainly not like the ones we "regular" folks face.

We watch "Deal or No Deal" because, man, wouldn't it be nice to win $1 million?

We watch, simply, because it's someone else's life, someone else's chew toy being mercilessly stripped away by a brother.

For some reason, it soothes us; so we log on and watch.

In a grouchy mood? Had a bad day at work?

There's nothing like a good puppy peep-show to salve the pain.

Christine Kraly is The Times' investigative and enterprise reporter. The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. She can be reached at ckraly@nwitimes.com.