My Golden Retriever Hachi and I have been keeping at it with the tournaments lately. With a lot of hard work, we finally managed to proceed to the Pro Cup in the Disc Throwing Contest. She is getting a lot better about returning the disc in a more timely matter as well, which is key when the clock is winding down. She does seem to be getting faster, too. The increase in speed has been extremely helpful in one of the new contests in the game called the Lure Coursing Contest. In the Lure Coursing, your dog along with two others are chasing after a lure that is being pulled by each respective owner. To bring the lure closer to the finish line, the player must turn a crank that is mapped onto the touch screen. Turning the crank in a clockwise direction pulls the lure away from the dog towards the finish line, while turning the crank in counter-clockwise brings the lure closer to your puppy. The crank also has a button on it that squeaks/honks when pressed. This can be used to the get the attention of your pup. The Lure Coursing is a pretty fun addition to the game. Even though my puppy is steadily getting faster, we still found ourselves getting destroyed at the contest recently. Getting through the Junior Cup (tier one) was easy enough, but she is just not fast enough to keep up in the Amateur Cup.

We won the Junior Cup in Lure Coursing. But can't get much further. Congrats on third place, loser!

In an effort to build up speed and stamina for my puppy, Hachi and I go on walks every day. The walking mechanic is set up a little differently in Nintendogs + Cats. The original game featured a map on which the player would draw out a route for the walk. In Nintendogs + Cats, this map is no longer included. At first, you and your dog find yourselves walking through your neighborhood. Later on, you are introduced to other areas, such as the sea, a mountain path, and a city. Initially, you are unable to choose which path you take, but as you spend more time walking, you will notice signs on the side of the road that point to these different paths. If you walk close enough to them, you will have the option of going along that path.

While walking, you still have to keep an eye out for garbage in the road to prevent your dog from having a makeshift meal and clean up any droppings left behind. Similar to what I mentioned above with the various paths, you also have the option to go to parks, gyms, and even a pet cafe (which really do exist in Japan). The pet cafe intrigued me, so Hachi and I went inside to check it out. The menu consists of a beverage for the owner and then some kind of a dessert for your furry companion. After paying for and consuming everything, Hachi had a chance to play with the other animals in the cafe. This actually turned into a momentous occasion as it marked the first time that I came into contact with a cat in the game! The cats definitely act differently than the dogs in the game, doing a pretty good job at mirroring real life. Unfortunately, I did not have any cat toys in my inventory, so there really was not much that I could do with the little fur ball. It was fun to watch Hachi interact with the cat as it pawed and hissed consistently.

At first Hachi doesn't know what to think, but the hissing indicates potential hostilities.

So, I have finally encountered a cat. My next goal - get a cat of my own.