JOY FOR ALLFreckled Pup - Brown and White Soft-Touch Coat - Realistic and Lifelike Interactive Companion Pets

My wife is in Memory Care for Alzheimers. I purchased this to be a bit of a companion for her. It's perfect. It occasionally just barks softly and turns it's head giving my wife something to focus on for a moment. It's still functioning on the same batteries.

Purchased this for a friend with dementia. In his case, it's the next best thing to having a dog, since he can no longer care for a real dog. It responds to his voice. It has pretty realistic movements and sounds. It would be nice if the price was lower, but in this case, it was definitely worth it.

This little pup has filled a big part of my loved ones heart who is in memory care. It is his constant companion. It is so life like. Truly has filled a gap in his life. Adorable!

**UPDATE2** - As much as I love this dog, I do not recommend getting it. It broke down in less than two months, and the Joy for All support is abysmal. They go from offering me a free pup, nothing needs to be done, they'll just send me one.... then going back to only sending me a free one if I send my current one back. Not only did the Golden Pup break in under two months, the Freckled Pup I ordered broke in under two months, too. Support takes a week or more to get back to you. Only purchase this dog if you plan on barely using it and getting no support and it more than likely breaking within months.-----**UPDATE** - After having this dog for just under two months, it's mostly broken. It doesn't move its head up and down, it doesn't move its mouth, the cheek sensors don't work, the noise sensors barely work. It mostly died then mostly revived, but now is mostly dead again. Fresh batteries have not worked. I'm not sure why it stopped working so quickly, but it's disappointing. Don't expect these to last a long time unless you plan on spending only 5 min with them a day.-----I am in the 30-40 age range, and I suffer from major anxiety and some depression. I've though, for a while, that a dog would help my mental health; however, I am unable to buy a real dog. I spent months going back and forth on whether or not I should buy the Joy For All dog. After all, the first time I had heard about this company was when they had only cats, and my mom bought a cat for her elderly mother. All of the marketing of this product gears them as companion pets for the elderly, so would they really be effective for someone my age who just couldn't have a real pet? Once the golden pup went on sale, I snatched one up. The first day I had my pup, I kept saying to myself, "I don't know if this is ridiculous and I wasted money." By the second day, I was in love. Yes, I am fully aware this is not a real dog; however, there is something about how it responds to your voice; how it responds to the curtains opening up in the morning; the heartbeat; the way it closes its eyes and leans up into you when you scratch its head; etc. I still know the pet isn't real, but I find such joy in "talking" to it. I find such joy in it, period. I have shared this dog with coworkers, friends, and even people I know online, and I've raved about the pet. For anyone who is like me, who has been wondering if this Joy For All dog is worth the money? Yes. Yes. RESOUNDING YES. This dog is so worth it.... so much so that I bought the freckled pup version just a week later. If you have anxiety, and you can't have a real dog for any reason, but you want a companion... get this dog. It is so worth it. This dog really is a joy, for real.

The media could not be loaded. *Update* December 12thIt broke after 4 months of use, the motors of the eyes and mouth stopped working, and just barks and moves head around. A burning smell came with the broken motor and it scared me so I took the batteries out. When I put them back in there was a strange sound and eyes and mouth never worked again.For the price it should have lasted way longer, I’m givin it 1 star even though my daughter still loves her.***I bought this for my family, specifically for my 6 year old daughter who has sensory hypersensitivity as a way to relax her when we go to a new place since getting out of the rutine is sometimes very stressful for her specially if its somewhere crowded and noisy.I cannot tell you how in love she felt with this robot-dog. She loved her inmediatly as we turn the siwtch on, and felt very comfortable hugging her and talking to her like it’s a real dog. I know that for her needs we would have needed a therapy or emotional support real dog, but we live in a small apartment and have two rabbits, so adding a real dog would have been madness. “Penny” as she called this joy for all pup has been wonderful accompanying us everyday on the drop off and pick up from school. My daughter strokes her often and the soft barks can calm her and make her think of something else when she’s stressed or anxious.I’ve read so many reviews before purchasing and was a litte worried of how this would work with a kid since it’s advertised for people with Alzheimer’s or dementia. But I have to tell you, this robot dog is much more than what’s advertised. It reacts to different lightning, my husband being an electronic Engineer noticed that it has some sensors in her pupils that makes her react to shadows and lights. It makes her bark in a soft cute way that just makes everyone smile. Also, the “barkback” technology that it comes with is wonderful because you really think that is answering to you. It has many different barks so you can’t (and we’ve tried) to figure out what’s the pattern but it seems very random although it makes perfect sense as it imitates a real dog. I grew up surrounded by dogs and let me tell you this robot pup is very well programmed.Only cons I see is that when you pick it up or leave it on the couch or bed you have to be very aware of giving enough space for the tail, as it wags and makes a strong sound when it doesn’t have room to move.Also I think it needs more balance on the hind legs or bottom part because if it’s not on a flat surface it falls on the sides.The only reason I’m not giving the Five Stars is because I can’t make the heartbeat work, I’ve tried everything and still can’t hear a single beat. I’m going to contact Ageless Innovations for this, and I hope it’s nothing too serious as I don’t think my daughter wants to separate from “Penny”.I 100% recommend this dog for children with special needs.