Legal

Terms of Coexistence

Last updated: January 2026. These terms govern your relationship with the dog. The dog did not read them.

1. Acceptance

By taking delivery of the dog, you agree to coexist with it for the duration of its natural lifespan or until such time as you return it in accordance with the Returns Policy, whichever comes first.

“Taking delivery” includes: collecting the dog from a Companion Systems facility, receiving the dog from a Companion Systems representative, or waking up to find the dog in your kitchen because the delivery driver left the gate open and the dog walked in on its own. All three constitute acceptance.

2. The dog is alive

The dog is a living biological organism. It is not a device. It is not a product in the electronic sense. It is a product in the commercial sense. These are different senses.

The dog does not care about this distinction.

Companion Systems does not accept responsibility for the dog being alive. This is how it was manufactured. This is the only way it is manufactured. We have explored alternative manufacturing methods. They were not popular with the dogs.

3. Your obligations

You agree to provide:

  • Food. Model-appropriate quantities. Dog SE requires less food than the dog or dog Pro. This is because dog SE has fewer moving parts. Overfeeding dog SE will not make it faster. It will make it rounder.
  • Water. Clean, fresh, and available. The dog does not distinguish between water sources but does have opinions about temperature. The dog’s opinions about temperature are not your problem but may become your problem at 3am.
  • Shelter. A location in which the dog may exist without exposure to weather, predators, or the judgement of neighbours.
  • A location. The dog requires a location. The location does not need to be special. It needs to exist. The dog will occupy it.

You do not agree to love the dog. Love is optional and available separately (see: Loyalty module, sold as an accessory for the dog and dog SE; included as standard in dog Pro, which we did not anticipate and cannot disable).

4. The dog’s obligations

The dog agrees to be present. That is the dog’s obligation.

The dog does not agree to be useful, entertaining, or emotionally available. The dog does not agree to perform tricks, respond to its name, or demonstrate enthusiasm for your return from work. The dog agrees to exist in your vicinity. This is the agreement. This is the entirety of the agreement.

Additional obligations vary by model. Dog Pro may exhibit behaviour that resembles enthusiasm. This is not a contractual obligation. This is a side effect of the Pro’s expanded emotional architecture. Companion Systems makes no guarantee that this behaviour will continue, be directed at you, or occur at convenient times.

5. Termination

Either party may terminate this coexistence arrangement.

You may terminate by returning the dog in accordance with the Returns Policy. The Returns Policy is available on this website and also on a piece of paper that was included with the dog. If you have lost the piece of paper, the Returns Policy is still available on the website. If you have lost the dog, the Returns Policy is no longer relevant.

The dog may terminate by leaving. This is only possible on models with full mobility (dog Pro). Dog Pro has the physical capability to leave and the cognitive architecture to consider it. No dog Pro has yet exercised this option. We attribute this to the loyalty module, good husbandry, or dog Pro’s understanding that the outside world does not have a sofa.

Dog SE cannot leave. Dog SE is contractually stationary. This is not a metaphor. This is a mobility specification.

6. Dispute resolution

Disputes between you and the dog should be resolved through the established channels:

  • Food
  • Walks (where applicable; not applicable for dog SE)
  • Saying “good boy” in a tone of voice that suggests you mean it

If the dispute cannot be resolved through these channels, contact support. Support will side with the dog.

This is not a policy decision. It is a recognition of the fundamental power dynamic between a species that has been domesticated for 30,000 years and a species that invented the concept of terms of service.