Skip to main content

Long read: How TikTok's most intriguing geolocator makes a story out of a game

Where in the world is Josemonkey?

If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Animal shelter uses Pokémon Go to find volunteer dog-walkers

A new breed of fetch quest.

Pokémon Go has a lot of uses. It's an enjoyable pastime that entices people to exercise. It encourages socialisation. It can be used by politicians for awkwardly delivered dad jokes. But the best utilisation of Pokémon Go has to go to the Muncie Animal Shelter in Muncie, Indiana, who decided to use the app's popularity to recruit volunteer dog-walkers.

Come down to the Muncie Animal Shelter to walk one of our dogs while you get your steps in!" the shelter's social savvy tweet said. "Just come to the front desk and say you're here for the Pokémon dogs!"

"The exercise and stimulation for the dogs is the first priority," Muncie Animal Shelter director Phil Peckinpaugh told BuzzFeed. "If we can get volunteers and adoptions, that's been the number one goal. Always."

Indeed Peckinpaugh is a fan of Pokémon Go himself and was inspired by playing it with his daughter and encountering other players in the neighborhood.

Any Indiana-based readers care to take Muncie Animal Shelter up on this offer?

If you're currently playing Pokémon Go, you can find our collected and ever-updated wisdom in the Pokemon Go Guide.

Read this next