1558: Vet

2015-08-03T08:33:56Z

Jajafe:

{{comic
| number = 1558
| date = July 31, 2015
| title = Vet
| image = vet.png
| titletext = It's probably for the best. Since Roombas are native to North America, it's illegal for Americans to keep them in their houses under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Roomba}} is a brand of domestic cleaning robots manufactured by the company {{w|iRobot}}. The robots are designed to automatically vacuum floors. Although these robots are controlled by a quite simple software without any artificial intelligence, some owners tend to humanize them in the same way that others humanize their pets.

There are several other comics related to a Roomba:
*[[413: New Pet]]
*[[506: Theft of the Magi]]
*[[908: The Cloud]]
*[[1183: Rose Petals]]
*[[1193: Externalities]]

[[Megan]] presents a {{w|pet carrier}} to what appears to be a veterinarian. She says that her "dog" is “crawling around eating dirt”, which sounds like certain types of behavioral problems one encounters in dogs, but is precisely what Roombas are made for. What makes the cartoon even more hilarious is that when the vet comments that it is a Roomba, Megan responds that the device (which has nothing of an animal) is a hybrid, and agrees that it has “some Roomba” in it, this expression being a common element in conversation about dogs. The vet then goes on to say, with endless patience, that a Roomba is not a pet. This is taken by Megan as if the doctor said that the Roomba-like device is a non-domesticated animal (like a monkey, a fox, or the birds referred to in the title text) that can but should not be kept in captivity. In the last panel she consequently releases the vacuum cleaner and it whirs to its freedom.

The second customer has a dog on a leash but is also carrying a pet transporter which is clearly too small for the dog. Perhaps he has another small dog in there.

The {{w|Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918|Migratory Bird Treaty act}} from the title text contains a list of over 800 bird species that are not allowed to be captured or killed. If the Roomba were to be classified as a native American bird and were added to the list, keeping them as pets would constitute capturing and would be considered illegal. This, of course, shows how confused Megan is. She previously stated the Roomba to be a dog and now apparently believes it is a bird, even though dogs are not birds and the Roomba is neither.

==Transcript==
:[Megan arrives with a pet carrier, Cueball stands at a desk as a veterinarian, and Hairy is waiting behind in line with a dog and a pet carrier.]
:Megan: There's something wrong with my dog. He keeps crawling around eating dirt.

:[Cueball holds the content of Megan's pet carrier.]
:Cueball: This is a roomba.
:Megan: Well, he's a mix. Probably some roomba in there.

:[The roomba lies on the table.]
:Cueball: A roomba is not a pet.
:Megan: You're right. It's wrong to keep a beautiful creature like this in a house.

:[Megan is outside left to a tree, encouraging the roomba to drive away.]
:Megan: Go! Be free!
:Roomba: ''WHIRRR''

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Robots]]

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1558: Vet