Robot dogs? College football? Might the worlds of Doctor Who worship and mainstream sports fandom finally be converging? (Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Last week I reported on the sad passing of the University of Georgia’s Uga VII. The 4-year-old English bulldog had been bred to encourage its most outrageous features — features that, when exaggerated, can interfere with little things like breathing oxygen and perpetuating the species through mating.

Now, according the the L.A. Times, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has entered the fray, demanding that UGA turn to costumed mascots or, yes, robot dogs instead of subjecting the poor bulldog to hot, humid football games.

As I’m writing this post in the state of Georgia, I can already hear the outrage of football fans rise up from the streets and hills. Let’s face it: PETA isn’t exactly on good terms with the average red-blooded American. The only common ground I can think of is the public display of naked models. Otherwise, PETA hates barbeque, fast food, hunting and fishing. Now it’s coming after American Football. The outrage!

I’d be lying if I said I agreed with PETA on every stance it takes, but then again, its whole protest strategy is based on gaining maximum publicity through, well, ire-raising stunts such as this. Plus, sometimes you have to push for extreme change in order to achieve moderate improvements.

Of course, UGA already has a costumed mascot named Hairy Dog (which looks a lot like a Moblin) they could depend more on. And we have plenty of robot K9s, dinosaurs and even humanoids to fall back on. Surely we can program a little college football zeal into these fine machines? And, as I previously stated, I’m also a huge fan of simply breeding our dogs to be healthy as opposed to meeting our selfish and ridiculous criteria. Remember, there was a time when the English bulldog was a trim, sleek animal with a purpose in life other than helping a crowd attach its ego to a game of catch.

But then again, I’m not a football fan. What do you fans think about PETA’s proposal?

Thanks to HSW’s Sarah Dowdey for pointing this development out to me!

EDIT: I should also point out that a 2008 study conducted at NHC HealthCare in Maryland Heights, Mo., found that the robotic dog Aibo was just as effective at decreasing human loneliness as a living, breathing dog. If robots are up to the task of keeping our old people happy, then might they also be just as capable of leading a sports team to victory? Think about it, won’t you?

“Go Dawgs” or Something at HowStuffWorks.com:
How Animal Domestication Works
How American Football Works
How Dogs Work
How Protest Works
How Robots Work
Football Mascot Uga VII Bites the Dust: Breeding to blame?