ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – As stories emerge of Pokemon Go players falling down cliffs, finding dead bodies, crashing cars and being robbed, one group is trying to use the latest mobile gaming craze to do something positive – help save shelter dogs.
Positive Paws Rescue Transport in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is inviting people to take a canine companion on their trips to “catch ’em all,” the slogan of the augmented reality game that has people wandering neighborhoods with their phones in search of Pokemon.
“A lot of people that like Pokemon like animals, so I figured it would be a pretty good program to combine both the dogs and Pokemon,” organizer Haley Bowers told KRQE.
The shelter has already reported a spike in business – 10 people have filed to adopt from the shelter, which only has 15 dogs available, according to Bowers.
One of those dogs is Iris, a German Shepard mix who just gave birth a month ago to three puppies.
“One of the things that helps her to produce more milk is to go out and walk,” Bowers said.
You don’t have to know what a Pikachu is to help out, Bowers added, people are also welcome to just go for a walk with one of the dogs.
