Meet Laikago – named after Laika, a Soviet dog who was the first living creature to orbit the Earth.
The Chinese-made robot dog weighs 22kg, a bit less than a common Labrador, and is around 60cm tall.
“It is a kind of medium automatic robot, a robot-dog in short,” creator Wang Xingxing told RT’s Ruptly video news agency.
“We have popularized Laikago among science and technology companies, and science fans. So Laikago is a scientific toy.”
The four-legged mechanical pet is able to run on grass and can assimilate canine-like movements, just like a flesh-and-blood pooch.
The initial price for Laikago will be around US$25,000, but may drop in the future.
No doggy-doo, vet visits or bones... now everyone can buy a robot canine online and enjoy spending time with their new four-legged friend (admittedly perhaps not the cuddliest or most-loving version of "man"s best friend,") feeding it only with electricity.
The makers did not comment on whether RoboDog is so lifelike as to hump your leg or drink from the toilet.
Reno, NV — In the land of the free, kneeling down, placing your hands on your head and submitting to your police captors, can and will be met with horrifyingly gruesome tactics. Eugenio Corona found this out the hard way in January when he surrendered to authorities over an alleged parole violation and in response, they forced their K9 to brutally maul him.
Corona’s lawyer, Terri Keyser-Cooper filed a civil rights lawsuit in July against the deputies who sicced the dog on him after he surrendered. And, in record time, Washoe County offered to settle the case. Naturally, it was the taxpayers held liable and not the cops.
“We thought it was saving taxpayer dollars to settle it for the amount we did rather than go through to trial,” Deputy District Attorney Keith Munro said. “We thought the officers would be vindicated, but it would cost considerably more to have them vindicated.”
According to USA Today, Corona sued the deputies individually and did not sue Washoe County. But because the deputies were sued for something that happened while they were working, the county paid for their defense and will pay the settlement amount to Corona.
Keyser-Cooper, who specializes in civil rights violation cases by police, noted how unusually fast the county settled.
“It is very unusual for law enforcement defendants to make a substantial offer of judgment in the infancy of the case,” she said. “In 32 years of practicing civil rights law I have never seen that before.”
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Keyser-Cooper said that the quick settlement was likely due to the fact that the entire disgusting scenario was captured on the officer’s dashcam and there is no disputing it.
READ MORE:Cop Caught Training His K-9 To Be a Vicious Attack Dog Keeps His Job
“It is unconstitutional to use more force than is necessary in a given situation,” Keyser-Cooper said. “When a suspect surrenders, on the ground, kneeling, with hands above his head and a vicious attack dog is then unleashed to maul him, that is horrendous.
“That is why they paid so quickly.”
However, despite paying quickly, for being unnecessarily mauled by a K9 as he surrendered, Corona received just $17,500.
The lawsuit stemmed from a chase in January, the end of which was captured on the officer’s dashcam.
Corona had violated the terms and conditions of his parole when he was alleged to have been in possession of methamphetamine and a firearm. Instead of returning to prison, he fled, forcing the Marshals to come looking for him.
Washoe deputies caught up with Corona, and a car chase ensued but ended as soon as Corona stopped. He exited the car, got on his knees, and in typical prison submission fashion, interlocked his hands behind his head.
He surrendered.
However, instead of simply walking over and placing the wanted man in handcuffs—which would have seemingly been easy considering he was in the position of surrender— Corona’s lawyers say Washoe police proceeded to sic their dog on him as punishment.
For surrendering, he was tortured.
Washoe County sheriff’s deputies Jason Wood and Francisco Gamboa both refused to admit liability and also claimed that Corona was not injured during the attack. When watching the video below, both of these claims are laughable.
In the video, Corona can be seen kneeling on the ground, hands locked behind his head. The cars roll up and stop, then a dog runs over and attacks Corona, clamping down on his arm and tearing into him.
READ MORE:Drugs or No Drugs, K-9s Will Alert to Your Car Nearly Every Time
Wood’s command to “get that bad guy” was followed by the comments officers are trained to say when they want to punch someone: “stop resisting.” It is clear to see that Corona was in no way “resisting,” even when his arm and chest were being mauled by the attack dog.
This raises the question—were the officers lying when they yelled for Corona to “stop resisting,” or were they just attempting to legally protect themselves while they punched him in the face?
Judging from their claims over the lawsuit, it is more likely than not that they were simply lying to cover their rear-ends.
As The Free Thought Project has reported, police sometimes use their K9 officers—or police dogs—as a form of cruel punishment against suspects. On one occasion in May, a police officer in Pennsylvania allowed his attack dog to maul a compliant man and then bragged to a dispatcher about the injuries the suspect sustained.
Minneapolis, MN – Sadly, there’s been another cop versus dog shooting. This time the horrific shooting took place in Minneapolis and didn’t involve just one family pet — but their two dogs.
As TFTP has noted, if citizens kill police dogs, it’s practically considered murder, and the suspects are charged with felonious assault on a police officer (dog). But since police wear a badge, they can kill our pets at will with hardly any ramifications.
Jennifer LeMay did her part to protect her home and property by installing security cameras, and we’re glad she did because the shooting of her two dogs was caught on camera.
The two Staffordshire Terriers, Cisco and Rocko are owned by LeMay and her four children, and have been in the family since they were puppies. They’re therapy dogs, prescribed by a physician to help LeMay’s two sons who struggle with severe anxiety.
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The LeMay family were camping in Wisconsin when two of the children, both teenage girls, 13 and 18, wanted to come home early because the elder had to get back to work at a local fast food restaurant. They arrived home at around 8:50 pm Saturday, but when they did, they accidentally triggered their own security alarm.
The security company was notified that it was a false alarm, and the alarm was canceled at 8:54. But police were already on their way to the LeMay residence. One of the two responding officers stayed in the front yard while another officer scaled the 7ft high fence in the back.
READ MORE:Instead of Shooting a Dog that Just Bit Him, This Cop Soothed It and Set the Bar for Cops Nationwide
That’s when he met Cisco and Rocko. From the video, the officer can be seen drawing his weapon as the dogs slowly approached while one is seen wagging his tail.
The officer didn’t kneel or offer an extended hand for Cisco to smell him, he simply pointed his gun at the dog and fired. Cisco wasn’t even charging at the officer when he was shot. Rocko came just as quickly, and he, too, was hit with the officer’s spray of bullets.
The officer then did what he probably should have done. As the two dogs were laying, bleeding, and badly injured, the officer jumped back over the fence. Why he did not first attempt to retreat is anyone’s guess. Now LeMay is demanding answers and footing the bill from an officer’s assault on her pets.
The 13-year-old saw her dogs get shot by a so-called officer of the peace, and was surely traumatized. The officer who was in the front of the home then did what he should have done in the beginning. He knocked on the front door.
The LeMay’s said the officers told them not to transport the dogs to the hospital because animal control would be coming over to get them but they never came.
Later that night, they were able to get the pets the much-needed surgery and medical care they should have gotten immediately following the shooting. According to the Star Tribune;
Both dogs went to the emergency vet Saturday night. Ciroc was shot in the jaw, Rocko in the side, face and shoulder. So far, LeMay has paid $900 for Ciroc and brought him home; he still needs $5,000 to $7,000 worth of surgery at the University of Minnesota, she said. Rocko came home Sunday night. A GoFundMe page was established to help LeMay pay her vet bills.
LeMay is now demanding answers. The police department sent over a supervisor to talk with the family, Lt. Derrick Barnes. And while they say he was as contrite as he could be, the pain is still very real and fresh for the family who now has to watch their dogs as they suffer through a long and painful recovery.
READ MORE:Cop Ignores "Beware of Dog" Signs, Enters Yard, Kills Family Dog — Over a Parking Spot
The pain, anguish, and anger can be sensed in LeMay’s comments when she spoke with reporters.
He was wagging his tail…My dog wasn’t even moving, lunging toward him or anything…My dogs were doing their job on my property…We have a right to be safe in our yard.
As for the attempt of the police department to reach out and express their condolences, LeMay had these words to say to Det. Barnes:
(Barnes was) as genuine and compassionate as he could be, without overstepping his boundaries.
Police spokesman Corey Schmidt issued a one-paragraph statement:
We are aware of the recent incident involving MPD officers responding to an audible residential burglary alarm and while at this call an MPD officer discharged their firearm, striking two dogs belonging to the homeowner. Anytime an officer discharges their firearm in the line of duty there is an investigation. We are in the process of reviewing the video posted online, as well as the officer’s body camera video.
LeMay did not say whether or not she plans to sue, but there have been a few victories in court when police have killed family pets in the line of duty. Hopefully, she’ll file a lawsuit and teach those officers a lesson so they won’t continue to devastate people’s lives by killing their beloved pets.
Finally, Congress is doing something about a serious issue on everyone’s mind; they have introduced a bill to ban dog and cat meat from being sold and eaten in the United States.
But wait, isn’t this cultural insensitivity towards those from countries who regularly eat dogs and cats?
China is still the most likely country to see dog or cat meat eaten, even hosting a dog meat festival every year. But lately, the festival has been subjected to protests from people who think the practice of slaughtering dogs for meat is inhumane. Some of the pressure to stop the practice has come from the West, but there are also elements within China who think it is wrong to eat animals regularly kept as pets.
I’m only half kidding about the cultural differences. In Australia, they eat kangaroos, in Iceland, they eat horses, and all over rabbits are regularly consumed. Is America’s culture so superior that we know for certain we have found the right combination of animals to slaughter for meat? Or is culture an appropriate issue to legislate, enshrining the “American way of life” into law?
“We live in a global economy and we live in a very transient society,” [Wayne Pacelle, President of the Humane Society] said. “We need to be morally consistent and ask other countries to act in a way that is consistent with our own policies.”
Apparently, America should force the world to align with its cultural standards for meat consumption.
It is fine to be against the practice of eating cats and dogs, just as many also protest eating pigs, cows, or any other animal not commonly kept as a pet. But this is still ultimately an opinion. It would actually make more logically consistent sense to be for or against the eating of all animals, or none.
But then many people draw a line based on the intelligence of the animal. This means dolphins and chimpanzees are clearly off limits, while fish and chicken are good for munching. But what about those confusing middle ones? Some evidence suggests pigs are smarter than dogs. Can we really say a cat has more intelligence than a cow, or do they simply have more personality–a subjective value judgment?
In America, if someone is eating cats and dogs, that is probably a sign that they are in desperate need, and hungry. So the only people that would be ensnared by such a law would be the extremely poor, those with different cultures, or the mentally ill.
When we treat cats and dogs as property, that means it is already illegal to steal, kill, or eat someone’s family pet. This is not the issue. Nor is the issue if the cat or dog meat shows up on your plate in a restaurant instead of beef; that would clearly be fraud, and whether you agree with the laws or not, would violate meat processing standards. So all the ways in which the eating of cat and dog meat harms more than your emotions are already illegal.
Arbitrary issues like these should not be decided by governments. Otherwise, there is nothing to stop a dominant faction from subjectively banning the slaughter of their favorite animal, as many Indian states have done when it comes to cows.
It is not for governments to make this judgment, it is absolutely up to individuals, and the market. If no one is buying dog meat, then no one will be selling it.
In fact, a larger issue in more urgent need of redress is the cruelty with which common meat animals are treated. In these cases, the government is complicit through their protectionist regulations and false assurances that they are keeping an eye on the processes.
But seriously, how big of a problem is this really? As cute as they are, shouldn’t people have the freedom to eat cats and dogs if they want? Even though I personally love cats and dogs, and would never want to eat one, I’m not seeing more than a cultural or emotional difference between cows and pigs, versus cats and dogs being eaten.
Bills like this are indicative of a larger political problem; no one is addressing real issues. The politicians introduce bills that make people emotional but don’t really matter significantly. The USA could collapse from the debt of almost $20 trillion, but let’s make sure no one is eating cats and dogs.
America bombs and wages war on entire regions of the globe, with disregard for human lives lost. The hungry innocent victims left in grinding poverty without a home would surely jump at the chance to eat a stray cat or dog, while the politicians who caused their turmoil sit safely in Washington talking from their pedestal about the inhumanity of eating cats and dogs.
If–or when–the dollar crashes and the policies of the U.S. government plunge the world into economic turmoil, we may be singing a different tune on how yummy Mr. Kitty looks.
Houston, TX — Harris County Sheriff’s deputy Andrew C. Sustaita Jr. is due in court this week to face some truly disturbing charges. The six-year veteran of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office is accused of raping a small dog, taking the video, and then posting the video online with a police department computer. So far, the only crime that Sustaita is charged with is obscenity, a felony. However, it is possible that he will receive more charges after appearing in court.
Surprisingly, Sustaita was fired immediately after the arrest, so the evidence against him must be substantial. Otherwise, the department would have delayed his termination.
The Sheriff’s Office High Tech Crime Unit was tipped off that video of a man raping a small dog was posted from a police department account. Eventually, Sustaita was named as the suspect, but the Harris County Sheriff’s Office has refused to release any details or comment further on the case.
“The possession of obscene and illicit material is made even more troubling when a Sheriff’s Office employee is found to be involved. Every resource of this office will be dedicated to protecting the public and holding our employees accountable for wrongdoing.”
The deputy comes from a law enforcement family, and they say they are waiting for more information. His father says he is devastated to hear this allegation, and that his son is a hard worker and he is reacting like any father would.
Despite the heinous crime of which he is allegedly responsible, many mainstream media sources felt the need to mention that they interviewed one of his friends who told them that he was “an honorable and committed family man.”
Would a news source ever consider printing such a thing about a person filming themselves having sex with a dog if the suspect did not work for the government in the capacity of a police officer?
When cops kill innocent people, local news stations, with the help of police, are quick to dredge up whatever mistakes they’ve made in the past to assassinate that person’s character in an attempt to downplay the killing. The glaring difference is insulting, to say the least.
Oddly enough, this is not an isolated incident. Robert Melia Jr. was sworn to protect and serve, but a Burlington County jury found he abandoned that oath when he and his former girlfriend filmed themselves repeatedly molesting teenagers. During the investigation, it was discovered that Melia had also filmed himself having sex with multiple cows.
John Vibes is an author and researcher who organizes a number of large events including the Free Your Mind Conference. He also has a publishing company where he offers a censorship free platform for both fiction and non-fiction writers. You can contact him and stay connected to his work at his Facebook page. John is currently battling cancer naturally, without any chemo or radiation, and will be working to help others through his experience, if you wish to contribute to his treatments please donate here.
