SqueeDogs: New Facebook game uses virtual pups to help real rescue animals

Just in time for National Puppy Day, SqueePlay, a new company focused on the creation of next generation Facebook games, announced that the company will raise funds for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) through its SqueeDogs Facebook video game.

Early release of SqueeDogs begins on Monday, and To Dog With Love readers can sign up now to be one of the first to play.

In SqueeDogs, the user plays as a doggy detective who goes on adventures through fantastical worlds, finding lost puppies and caring for them until they can be reunited with their owners.

In SqueeDogs, users customize their own Dogvatar 

When the game launches in April 2013, SqueeDogs players will be able to purchase in-game MSPCA branded virtual goods, such as the MSPCA doggie hat and sunglasses, to show their support for the organization. SqueePlay will also offer branded MSPCA toys and additional apparel and will give the MSPCA 100 percent of the profits on all SqueeDogs MSPCA branded virtual items.

The MSPCA is a national and international leader in animal protection and veterinary medicine and provides direct hands-on care for thousands of animals each year. Founded in 1868, it is the second-oldest humane society in the United States. Services include animal protection and adoption, advocacy, humane education, law enforcement, and world-class veterinary care.

SqueePlay was founded by mother-son team Cerise Jacobs and Pirate Epstein who have several rescue dogs and cats of their own and wanted to do something to raise funds and bring attention to the need for animal adoption. SqueePlay's first game, SqueeDogs, will launch April 2013.