MUNCIE, Ind. – In a move that’s been a huge success, the Muncie Animal Shelter this week encouraged people to walk their shelter dogs as they catch Pokemon Go characters on their phones.
But now, a different shelter is saying that plan is risky and full of flaws.
The president of the Humane Society for Boone County says Pokemon Go is distracting, and combining that with new volunteers who are unfamiliar with the dogs could lead to less attentive dog-walking.
Regardless of where you stand on that issue, we have learned something encouraging about the effort: Since launching the initiative earlier this week, the dogs have gotten more exercise than ever before.
Before this week, usually about 10 volunteers a day show up to walk the dogs at the Muncie shelter.
But since Tuesday, as many as 250 volunteers have stopped by the shelter. That’s about five times as many as it normally sees.
Another great effect: This week, two dogs were adopted by new volunteers who initially came to the shelter to walk dogs and play Pokemon Go.
To hear from some of those new volunteers, watch our video in the player above.
