Want to increase your Oxytocin levels? Get a Robot dog.

Oh boy. More on Robot dogs. Scientists in Japan have found that interacting with a "robot dog" can increase oxytocin levels by over two times the levels found in individuals without a robot pet. It also helps decrease the level of the stress hormone cortisol.

The robot dog in question looks like a small penguin, with a body temperature that matches humans; it makes "seal-like" sounds and responds to having its belly rubbed. It has cameras for eyes that can track the movement of human hands.

The scientists suggest that a "robo-dog" might be perfect in certain therapeutic situations where a real dog wouldn't work (e.g., allergies).

I have an opinion.

Now, I haven't mentioned this to our Great Pyrennes, Toby or our "Chihuahua-"terror-ist" mix Maisie. They would no doubt wonder if we have lost our minds, pointing out that we are both biological species and are linked by over 20,000 years of companionship. What are we going to do, toss that relationship away over some glittery metal and plastic imposter? (Note that if they could, there would be a lot of colorful adjectives.) On the other hand, technology seems to be creeping into every corner of our lives so quickly and sometimes surreptiously that you can imagine in twenty years or so kids playing fetch with a robot. (you know, with AI, that is a real possibility!)

Call me a luddite, but a sad day that would be. I'm a dog person, no matter the chaos they sometimes cause, the barking at odd and frequent times, the number of occasions they've wrapped leashes around my legs trying to get to another dog, or the fact that their lives are all too short. When a dog looks into your eyes, there is the mystery of a relationship, of trust and love that we have built together brick by brick for millennia. I'll take that every day over something that runs on batteries.

Is there a robot dog in your future? For more on real dogs pick up a copy of “Dog Lessons: Learning the Important stuff from Our Best friends” at bookstores everywhere, Barnes and Noble, Collected Works in Santa fe and online! Woof!