Nerry and Scully aren’t names of Pokémon. They’re two dogs at the Gastineau Humane Society up for adoption. And the shelter is encouraging anybody playing Pokémon Go to grab one of them, or any of the other adoption dogs, and give them some exercise.
“Not only do you get to walk around and hatch your Pokémon Eggs and look for all these Pokémon, the dog gets to go with you and get a nice walk,” GHS volunteer coordinator Kendra Bolin said on the phone Wednesday.
“Our dogs do get out, but it’s not the same as getting to go on a walk with a new person,” she continued.
Bolin plays the popular smartphone game herself and walks dogs at the same time. She recommended how to do both safely.
“You can go into settings in Pokémon Go and hit battery saver, and when you turn your phone upside down, it blacks out the screen to save battery. Then, you can put it in your pocket and walk around and it will vibrate when there’s a Pokémon nearby,” Bolin said.
That way, “if they’re walking around with an animal, they can better pay attention to what’s around them.”
[Discovering Pokémon Go in Juneau]
GHS put out a call for volunteer Pokémon Go dog walkers last week in a Facebook post, which got about 200 likes and 220 shares.
“It was huge. We couldn’t believe how many people responded to just the Facebook post. It was our highest viewed post ever,” GHS deputy director Samantha Blankenship said on the phone Tuesday.
The organization got the idea from shelters elsewhere in the country.
“It’s a way to promote people just coming to the shelter and maybe seeing an animal that they wouldn’t necessarily think about,” Blankenship said.
While the Facebook post was successful, Blankenship said no Pokémon Go players have actually come in yet to walk a dog.
[PokéMob moves through downtown Juneau]
GHS adoption dogs are walked by staff and other volunteers, and get playtime in the yard, but she said they can always use extra exercise.
Pokémon Go players in Juneau are encouraged to grab a dog for a leashed walk Monday through Friday, anytime from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., or on Saturday between 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. The outing can be a short 20-minute walk close to the shelter or a longer walk on a nearby trail.
And Bolin said there is some good Pokémon Go action to be had.
“Fred Meyer has got a Poké Stop and all of that down there. Anybody who goes and walks the Airport [Dike] Trail, there’s a gym, several Poké Stops out that way, so it really just depends on where they decide to go. Walking out at the glacier, there’s at least four Poké Stops and a gym,” she said.
The shelter currently has six dogs up for adoption, including 6-year-old black lab mix Nerry and 2-year-old blue-nose pit bull Scully.
[The Empire is dropping ‘lures’ daily for Pokémon Go trainers]
• Contact reporter Lisa Phu at 523-2246 or lisa.phu@juneauempire.com.
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