You'd better think of something to name him because when I come home and he's destroyed my house, I wanna know what to call him!

My Memaw loved dogs and I think that’s where I got my love of dogs from. When I was growing up, she generally had small dogs. She did have one big hound dog on the farm and his name was Smoky.  He was awesome. After my grandpa died and Memaw and I moved into the city, she got a small Boston Terrier. Because he was a purebred and she wanted him registered with the American Kennel Association, he had to have three names. She called him Theodore Roosevelt Woodruff, Teddy for short. It makes sense now why she named him that because she grew up while Roosevelt was president and her generation thought Roosevelt was the best president ever.

I am a big advocate of having a dog, a cat, or any animal. I think when we have to take care of something besides ourselves, it helps with our mental health. Some people are dog lovers. Some people are cat lovers. There’s even people who like snakes as pets. Sorry—that’s one I don’t understand:). But I’m also a big advocate of getting sheltered animals. I know people like to spend big bucks on the purebreds and that’s fine but there are so many dogs and cats in shelters. If they don’t get adopted, then they get euthanized and that’s really sad.

I especially think that older people should have some type of pet. Being a senior can sometimes get lonely. They have no kids at home because they’ve all moved out. Their spouse may have died. And they’re getting to the age where a lot of their friends are dying too. This is very unsettling because they are coming face-to-face with death. They don’t want to be a burden on society, but they’re living in a house all by themselves. They get lonely. I think caring for an animal helps alleviate some of that loneliness.

However, being a senior and owning a pet sometimes it’s not possible. For example, many seniors live in some type of senior community or home that doesn't allow pets. Some seniors physically cannot take care of a pet. They may not be able to walk the dog or clean the cat litter box. This prevents them from owning a pet. Some seniors cannot care for a pet financially. Being a pet owner nowadays is very expensive. Between food, grooming, vaccinations, and other vet bills, this all gets to be very expensive. Then if the animal gets sick—now you’re talking a lot of money.  Seniors also have to worry about the safety factor—it is very easy to trip over a live dog or it may easily knock you down. Seniors already may have issues with balance, slips, and falls. They do not need to add to those issues. Finally, seniors have to worry about their own mortality. Death is close and what would happen to their pet?  Will family members continue that care?  As a volunteer for a dog rescue, I can tell you we get many dog surrenders because the owner has died and there is no one to care for the animal. We must take them and hopefully get them adopted to a forever home. 

Earlier this week, the inventor of Roomba, the automated vacuum, created an automated pet. This, itself, is not unusual because there are many robotic pets out on the market. What is unusual is that this pet is pretty realistic. It has fur, so it feels like a real pet.   It has a cuddly face. It follows simple commands. It can move its head, ears, and eyes independently, without any direct instructions. It uses AI to learn about their owners and respond to their owners on an emotional level.  Finally, the reason for building this pet is unusual.

There are some things that this pet can’t do. It does not make any sounds—barking or purring. It cannot climb stairs. It is touted as a pet instead of a regular robot because it cannot complete simple tasks like other robots, including grasping. 

So, why build it?  They are saying it was built especially for emotional support. To help relieve loneliness. And they were saying that this robotic pet would be good for senior citizens. 

I did some research and I do have to agree. As a senior, if you have a robotic pet you don’t have to worry about physically walking it or taking care of it. You don’t have to worry about it financially, except for the cost of the robotic pet. And some senior communities and homes do allow their residents to have the automated pet because of its ease of care and will not cause any allergic reaction to anyone. It does not add any additional responsibilities and work for the staff.  Research shows that robot pets actually help patients with Alzheimer’s. Petting this pet is soothing and calming but a live dog can cause chaos that these patients do not need. 

What about loneliness?  Will having this “fake” animal actually help people feel less lonely? The short answer is yes. As we have talked before, loneliness is not about being alone. It is about not feeling any connection to others. It’s about not feeling cared for. Research has shown that taking care of a pet, even a robotic pet, helps people feel connected, cared about, and less lonely. They have something to touch, to talk to, and if that pet “responds”, then these lonely people feel like they are being listened to. What a great feeling!

As I was looking at this new robotic pet, I realized that they must be pretty expensive. Because they are so new, the company has not put a price tag on them, but I’m assuming it’s thousands of dollars. I don’t know too many senior citizens who could afford thousands of dollars for a robotic pet. But I was able to find that there are a variety of robotic pets that you could buy now and some of them are as little as $100. What makes the price increase is how realistic the pet looks, how many commands that it will obey, the general overall structure of the pet, and now, how that pet can use AI to respond to their owner on that emotional level. 

I have included some pictures of this new robotic pet at the end of this blog.

I still would like to see people adopt from a shelter if they are thinking about getting a pet. It is the most humane way of pet ownership. Again, I do know people who buy purebreds and there’s nothing wrong with that. Sometimes you have to have a specific breed of dog because of your household, especially with allergies. But if you can adopt from a shelter, for the seniors, I still recommend the shelters. However, I don’t think owning a robotic pet is a bad thing. It may not be real in the sense that it is alive. But it could still help with that loneliness. You can still care for the pet, you can still pet it, you can still talk to the pet, and now that pet can respond using AI.  It doesn’t mean that you’re losing your marbles! It means that you are trying to do whatever you can to help with the loneliness. 

And you might be the first on your block to own a robot!!

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