PORTLAND, Maine — You may have heard of taking your kid to work day. Well, Friday was bringing your dog to the game day at Hadlock Field.
The Portland Sea Dogs hosted fans and their furry companions for the first "Bark in the Park" game of the 2024 season.
All attendants were given the opportunity to buy an additional ticket for their dog, sold at $11 each.
For some people who were already fans, finding out they could buy a ticket for their dog only furthered the appeal. Ali Gustavson's best friend is a Maine native and grew up going to Sea Dogs games. When Ali moved from Alaska to Portland last year, they were excited to let their pets join in on the fun.
"Both of us like to bring our dogs to lots of places and have been doing a lot of training with our dogs to make sure they would thrive in an environment like this," Gustavson said.
The pups filled in a whole section of the bleachers, and before the game they got to participate in a pregame "doggie parade" where they did a full loop around the field.
Slugger, the Sea Dogs mascot, was happy to share the spotlight for the night and wasn't the only one excited to welcome the newcomers.
"They're getting lots of love from everybody, so many treats and so many pets," Gustavson said.
Not only was the love coming from other dogs and owners but also from people who didn't bring a dog and came specifically with the hopes of meeting others.
"My wife is a huge dog lover, so this was a big draw for her to come here as well," Ben Anderson said, who was on vacation in Portland with his wife when she saw an advertisement for the event on Facebook.
For other travelers, the incentive was there because they were already planning a trip with their dog.
"We bring Socks everywhere, he stays in the hotel with us. He's our big black lab, our big buddy," Socks' owner said.
It was a family affair for him, his wife and daughter, and Socks, who seemed happy to be included.
"I think he's having a great time. Dad's a little tired, though, but he's having a great time. I think he wants a hot dog," Socks' owner added.
Socks did indeed enjoy a hot dog shortly after, before tiring out just like his dad.
This was the first "Bark in the Park" of the season. The Sea Dogs will host three more in the months ahead, with the next one on May 22.