K9-Away

The K9-Away is a Treatment machine, used only in the Doghouse by a Nurse to cure patients with Barking Mad. It is first made available for research in Underlook Hotel, which requires the Bigfoot DLC.

Appearance
A grey rectangular base (barring some unevenness at the front end), covered in green turf, is bordered by a white picket fence, with an opening at the front. Three irregular flat grey stones lead, on an incline, towards a large wooden doghouse, mounted on a mid-tone bare boarded base, with very pale blue walls, and a orangey-red door and roof. A blue mailbox with a red flag on a dark wooden post is mounted just outside the fence on the front-right side.

The K9-Away II adds a Dog Bowl and Bone in the front-left corner.

The K9-Away III further adds a Big Tennis Ball on the right-hand side.

Function
The patient will take their place at the end of the K9-Away's stone path. while the nurse will man the controls, which are hidden in the mailbox. Pulling the red flag down will cause the doghouse's door to open, and opening the mailbox will reveal the single control, a big red button. Pulling a squeaky red ball from inside their tunic, the nurse will get the patient's rapt attention, then throw it into the doghouse, with the patient racing after it.

Once the patient is inside, the burse presses the button, causing the doghouse's door to slam shut, and the entire structure to be thrust into the air on a giant spring. A few second's bouncing, and the nurse will raise the red flag again, returning the doghouse to its original position, then kick the mailbox shut. The door opens, allowing the patient, now with their normal appearance restored, to gather their bearings, return to their feet, and stroll out, their treatment complete.

Maintenance
The K9-Away loses 5-10% of its maintenance gauge with each use. Once the gauge falls below 50%, a Janitor will automatically be called to repair it. A janitor can be summoned manually by the player by pressing the appropriate button.

Should the maintenance gauge fall below 15%, the machine will catch fire. A janitor will need to use an Extinguisher to put this out before the gauge reaches zero; if it is allowed to do so, the machine will explode, leaving wreckage which must be sold and replaced with a new machine before the room can resume functioning.

Upgrades
Upgrades are performed by a Janitor with the Mechanics Qualification. The machine will not be accessible while this work is being done, although it can be interrupted and resumed without losing progress.

Staff
The following Staff is required before the Doghouse, and by extension the K9-Away, will function correctly:

Additionally, the following staff is required to both maintain and upgrade the machine: Janitor (with Mechanics Qualification for upgrades)