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Robotic dog is all bark and no bite

He doesn't bite or slobber but he does wag his tail and snuggle. Buster is a robotic dog.

October is National Adopt a Dog Month, a time to match puppies with people.

But bringing home a dog is not practical for everyone even if they love animals.

A home care agency for seniors has an option for people who can't care for a dog themselves but would enjoy the companionship of a pet.

It's a robotic dog named Buster.

He's a good fit for Dolores Jackson. The 89-year-old grew up around dogs.

"I always enjoyed the one in the house. They roam around and then they come over and rub their nose on you and so you just have to say no, no, sweetie don't do that," she said.

No need for dog food because Buster runs on batteries.

He's engineered with built-in sensors and speakers to respond to sound and touch with puppy barks and motions. He wags his tail and has a heart beat.

"A lot of older people have to give up their animals. They have to walk them and that's a tripping hazard and falling hazard," LuAnn Barron said.

She is with Visiting Angels, a home care agency for seniors. The company knows the value of real dogs visiting older clients, especially those who have dementia.

"It gives them some companionship. There's a studies that show it even helps with anxiety and stress and helps lower their blood pressure," she said.

The idea is that Buster can provide those benefits with a lot less fuss than a real dog.

"This one doesn't bite. This one doesn't leave a mess if you go in somebody's house. And is the barking or the meowing gets to you then you can always mute them," she said.

Dolores played with Buster, patting his head and laughing as he barked.

"You mind good. I'll keep you," she said.

Actually, Buster was just visiting.

"We're just kind of taking Buster around to meet everybody when we do our home visits, take Buster along just to kind of give them a little bit of fun," LuAnn said.

Clients can order a robotic dog of their own, or just enjoy Buster when he drops in for a visit with Visiting Angels.

Not a dog person? There's also a robotic cat that purrs.

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