“The bodies of the first robot pets were based on cats and dogs, but dragons and Ewoks later became popular” Westend61 / Anna Huber / Getty Images
There is no doubting the value of companion animals, either during our evolutionary history, when dogs especially helped with hunting and guarding, or in recent times, when eroding social connections meant people leaned on animals for the emotional bond they previously got from humans. But the carbon pawprint of pets was unduly heavy.
By the 2020s, there were more than a billion dogs in the world, causing untold ecological damage. Cats and…
