If you’ve been on social media lately you may have noticed that people are going crazy for this mobile game called Pokemon GO. It combines the fun of collecting Pokemon with reality by hiding Pokemon all over the real world using mapping technology (like Google Maps). As you walk around your city streets with your phone out, Pokemon keep popping out as you walk or drive around and you collect them all! You and your dog become the greatest Pokemon trainers of all time while getting lots of exercise.
I decided to give it a try and had a lot of fun and I’m not a big video game player normally. I used my fitbit to track my steps and set out on a mission with my dog to collect some Pokemon. My dog and I walked all over the neighborhood, up the main boulevard and into the park. The Pokemon GO app adds an element of adventure to your usual walks, but please be sure to pay attention to your pups anytime you are walking out on the streets or in public. It’s easy to get sucked into the Pokeworld and it’s not safe to walk around distracted when you have a dog with you. You could step into the street or your dog could get injured, so paying attention to the real world is really important.
My dog has gotten more walks since I got the Pokemon GO app and we tend to walk farther. You can see when a Pokemon is nearby and it makes you want to walk the extra blocks to find it and catch it. It really turns your regular walks into a virtual adventure. As one Pokemon GO player put it, “Dogs are the perfect excuse to not look crazy while running around town collecting Pokemon! I’ve never walked my dog so much!” Good point!
My niece was sleeping over and she was excited to go for walks with me and the dogs so she could collect Pokemon. As we walked she would describe the Pokemon she was finding to me. If you have a teenager, you know it’s not always easy to get them excited to walk the dogs with you, but Pokemon GO had her excited to walk the dogs with me and run errands. Well played Pokemon GO. Well played.
So if you’re wondering what all this Pokemon GO stuff on your FB wall is, it’s a fun new game/app for your phone that turns your real world dog walks into your own virtual video game adventure. It will get you exploring parts of your town or city that you might not normally go, just to see what Pokemon are dwelling there. Dogs can benefit because let’s face it, every adventure is more fun with a dog and anything that makes us walk more is always a good thing.
Have you tried Pokemon GO? Do you think it’s a good tool to get people out there walking their dogs more?
Pokemon Go is available for both iPhone and Android.
