No doggy-doo, vet visits or bones – now everyone can buy a robot canine online and enjoy spending time with their new four-legged friend, feeding it only with electricity.

Laikago – named after Laika, a Soviet dog who was the first living creature to orbit the Earth – weighs 22kg, a bit less than a common Labrador. It’s some 60cm tall.

“It is a kind of medium automatic robot, a robot-dog in short,” creator Wang Xingxing told RT’s Ruptly video news agency. “We have popularized Laikago among science and technology companies, and science fans. So Laikago is a scientific toy.”

The four-legged mechanical pet is able to run on grass and can assimilate canine-like movements, just like a flesh-and-blood pooch. The initial price for Laikago will be around US$25,000, but may drop in the future.

The makers did not comment on whether RoboDog is so lifelike as to hump your leg or drink from the toilet.