A friend, Mike Weston, responded to the first Roomba article ("I Bought a Robot Today"), asking how my dogs like it. Funny, I was planning an article about that because it was a real surprise.
My most energetic dog, Denali, a 2-1/2-year-old Cardigan Welsh Corgi, goes nuts over vacuum cleaners. Whether it's a hand vac or a larger model, she begins barking wildly with a high-pitched bark designed only for vacs! My plan was to use the Roomba only when she was outside.
In a TidBITS review, Tonya Engst writes:
Our cat, who is easily scared, will leave the room if Roomba is running, but he otherwise ignores it. Some dogs, however, have a more dramatic reaction, as you can see in these videos:
<http://www.ljcfyi.com/ 2005/ 04/ for- small- dog- oscar- sheds- excessive.html>
<http://stevenf.com/ downloads/ sophie- vs- roomba.mov>
Check those videos out. They're funny. The first one is pretty much how Denali reacts to vacuums.
But oddly -- she barked at the Roomba for maybe half a minute, then stopped and walked on by. She's ignored it since.
The other two dogs don't care. One, a 13-year-old Corgi-Australian Shepherd mix, won't even move out of its way. The Roomba rolls up, bumps into him, then alters its course and he doesn't even move.
Not what I expected.
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Note: This is one of several articles here on the Roomba. Use the search at http://feedme.typepad.com/ and search for "Roomba."
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