> Very well. If the drawbacks I suggested are actually an integral part of the good dog experience for whatever reason, assume then that the robodog *does* exhibit them. Why, then, would he be a poor substitute for a meatdog? Seems to me he'd be functionally identical in every respect.

That would probably be a big improvement, but I think the "knowledge of consciousness" argument from my previous post still applies. I think there would be a lot of people out there for whom such a robodog would suffice, but my guess is that, for a majority, the knowledge that the dog is actually a machine is going to be the deal-breaker.