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Nintendogs for Christmas but dogs for life

Dogs Trust and Nintendo combine to point out difference between DS pet and poop-and-stick reality

Nintendogs for Christmas but dogs for life
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DS
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As it pulls out all the stops for the 7 October launch of its virtual puppy simulation, Nintendo hasn’t forgotten to do its bit of canine charity. It’s linking up with Dogs Trust to highlight the differences between owning the game version and the real version of pooch.

Get a nintendog for example and there’s no mess, no hair-covered settee, no walkies, no chewed slippers and the convenience of switching it off whenever you see a puddle, cat or other dog. The real-life variety, on the other hand, are capable of doing all of this and more simultaneously, while giving you a doe-eyed look that says, ‘I’m you’re best friend in the world me’.

Which is why Nintendo hopes the link up will encourage potential dog owners to test their ability to care for a dog before making the commitment to actually get one.

As part of this, Dogs Trust - which was set up over 100 years ago to care for unwanted dogs and encourage and educate owners to look after their pets properly - will feature as part of the Nintendogs marketing campaign as well as providing information on the game packs and organising various fund raising events. Nintendo will also encourage gamers to support the trust and sponsor one of its 26 special sponsorship dogs.

“Dogs Trust is pleased to be associated with Nintendogs ,” said Adrian Burder, Dogs Trust’s marketing director. “The philosophy behind the game has a lot in common with our own aims of ensuring that every dog is a happy and loved pet. Despite the fame of our ‘A Dog is For Life’ slogan, thousands of dogs are still abandoned every year, so it’s great that there’s a game that is not only fun to play, but supports the message that responsible dog ownership means more than giving your dog an occasional stroke.”

Jon Jordan
Jon Jordan
A Pocket Gamer co-founder, Jon can turn his hand to anything except hand turning. He is editor-at-large at PG.biz which means he can arrive anywhere in the world, acting like a slightly confused uncle looking for the way out. He likes letters, cameras, imaginary numbers and legumes.