A dog is man’s best friend, true, but anyone who has stepped in a fresh pile of shite during the early morning stumble from bed to bathroom knows they can push us to our limits. Then there’s that time the runt ate the leftover pizza, but if I go into more detail I’m going to ruin my day.

It seems in the not-too-distant future we may have somewhat cleaner, far creepier household pets to vent our frustrations on. The folks at Boston Dynamics, a company bought by Google in 2013, have designed these robotic canines and the realism is uncanny. This from Mashable:

The 160-pound, four-legged Spot is remarkably agile. It navigates an office on its own, then heads outside to climb a steep hill and a flight of stairs…At one point the developers pair Spot with the original Big Dog, which Spot basically humiliates.

Sure there’s none of that tongue hanging out cute factor, and I doubt taking this guy for a run in the park is going to attract the real honeys the same way your French Bulldog puppy does. Shame, but the next time you step in a mound of warm excrement remember these robots are potty-trained.

[source:mashable]