If All Else Fails, Re-schedule the Vacuuming
If your dogs and Roomba are still worst enemies of each other and your dog doesn’t stop barking at the vacuum or running after it, try to change the vacuuming time.
Almost all robotic vacuum cleaners have a scheduling function. Set the time to when the dog is usually asleep or outside playing.
You can also set the vacuum to run during your daily walks.
Craig Capizzi, who runs RoombaReview.com from his Staten Island, N.Y., home, says his Yorkshire terrier, Candie, ignores his Roomba 980 but is scared of his new Pleo, a dinosaurlike robot made by Ugobe Inc. “Shes terrified of it. She bites it,” he says. “That dog really believes its another animal and, apparently, a frightening animal.” He sent Pleo home with his fiancees mother, who “fell in love with it and treats it like a pet,” he says.
Although Pleos behavior is modeled on that of animals such as lizards and even golden retrievers (“Some of the tail movements Im quite sure we wouldnt have seen in a dinosaur, but they give you that Im an excited puppy feel,” he says), the team didnt want it to be so lifelike that it would spark an aggressive reaction from pets, he says. The company considered but, for that reason, rejected the idea of giving the Pleo an animal scent that would make it seem more like a real animal.
Sympathetic owners sometimes just retire their new purchases. In other cases, the pets take matters into their own paws. Peter Haney, a university administrator in Lethbridge, Alberta, twice found his Roomba 980 in pieces after letting it clean while his flat-coated retrievers, Macleod and Tima, had the run of the house. “No one is talking,” he says.
Animal-rights groups arent fans of these videos but stop short of calling them cruel. According to Daphna Nachminovitch of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, introducing robots into a pet household should be done with care. “Theres no way to explain to them that this is not a threat,” she says.
Such hijinks have found a place on YouTube, where robots and pets face off on camera. In January, Rob Sheridan, 28, posted a video titled “Puppy vs. Robot! Epic Battle for Territorial Domination!” It features a new Roboquad, a crablike robot toy with adjustable “aggression” settings made by WowWee, and an excited Lola, Sheridans 2-year-old Chihuahua-terrier mix.
Why do people treat roombas like pets?
They give them nicknames, worry when they signal for help and sometimes even treat them like a trusted pet. A new study shows how deeply some Roomba owners become attached to the robotic vacuum and suggests there’s a measure of public readiness to accept robots in the house — even flawed ones.
To turn Roomba OFF, press and hold the CLEAN button until Roomba’s lights turn OFF. To resume the cleaning cycle, press CLEAN again.
iRobot says the Roomba J7 Plus robot vacuum can detect and avoid solid pet waste. Essentially that means iRobot will replace for free any Roomba J7 Plus if it fails to detect pet poop and becomes soiled as a result. There are limitations and caveats to this offer.