Robot pets help these US seniors make friends

Jack Rickert, a 96-year-old resident of The Fountains at Boca Ciega Bay, pats Irish, a robotic dog, in St. Petersburg. Several residents of the retirement community have the interactive pets which can bark, purr, turn their heads, roll over and more. — Tampa Bay Times/TNS

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida: It’s happy hour at The Fountains at Boca Ciega Bay, a St. Petersburg retirement community. Seven older adults circle around a table, red wine and sodas in hand.

On the countertop, lined up as if in a processional, sit a group of seven cats and dogs.