The BC SPCA is using Nintendogs as a fundraiser.

Honestly, there is nothing wrong with fundraising, obviously we all have to do it to support our programs BUT like everything else it must be done with complete HONESTY.

There was no need for the BC SPCA to try and make this game sound like it is a good substitute for owning a dog and that it teaches children anything. That is the job of the Nintendo Corporation.

The BC SPCA merely needed to say thank you for the donation. By doing anything else they are not being straight up honest and the majority of general public will see right through it. That includes the media.

Nick Lewis
CanWest News Service; Calgary Herald
August 31, 2005

Nintendogs

Maker: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo DS
Rating: four stars out of five

CALGARY - Zoe loves when I rub her belly.

I call her by name, and she scampers over. She stretches out on the floor, legs up in the air, tail sweeping the ground. Though it feels incredibly corny each time, stroking her fur always puts me in a better mood.

Zoe is my virtual pet, my black labrador retriever that's nothing more than amalgam of pixels, yet I'm somehow growing closer to her. It helps that she's adorable, responsive, and acts like a real dog.

This is Nintendogs, a title that's not quite a game. It allows you to take ownership of a virtual puppy, name, train and care for it. It's already sweeping across Japan and is one of the first DS titles in a long time worth looking at.

The DS is close to a year old and has yet to boast one of those "must have" titles. While Nintendogs isn't good enough to make you run out and buy a system, it's enough to make owners hold off on trading theirs in for now.

See, everyone loves puppies, whether to play with or to make a dalmation overcoat. Zoe, my black labrador retriever, is really cute and plays a mean game of Frisbee, which is why I keep going back to her.

And Nintendogs actually makes good use of the DS's touch screen and built-in microphone. Once you train your puppy to respond to his/her name (anything you want), you call it over by speaking its name out loud.

The puppy flips over to the DS's bottom touch screen, and you can interact with the dog with the stylus pen.

You can stroke its fur, play catch with a tennis ball, play catch with a Frisbee or an assortment of other activities. You can blow bubbles at your dog by blowing into the mic. There's a pet supply store where you can purchase essentials such as dry food and water (which you run out of fast), brushes, shampoos, collars, etc. The more you play with your dog, the more active and strong it'll grow.

The puppies, like Jonathan Taylor Thomas, never really do grow up. But they do need constant supervision. I once dated a girl who had a Tamagotchi, and there were days that thing got more attention than I did. Nintendogs doesn't seem as demanding or annoying, and it helps that you see an immediate response from this cute little puppy.

Put your DS into "bark mode," and go for a stroll around the block. If another gamer with Nintendogs is nearby, your handheld will emit a little "woof," a sign that the dogs want to play together. I haven't yet been able to do this since I don't live in a neighbourhood with 14-year-old girls, having selected the "no 14-year-old girls nearby" option in my lease.

Is Nintendogs a decent substitute for a real dog? I dunno, is a real dog a decent substitute for your absent father? I don't think I'm qualified to answer that.