Pirates welcome canine fans to PNC Park
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Fans will see some novel action just beneath the left field scoreboard at PNC Park when the Pirates play the Chicago Cubs Aug. 29. A couple of hundred seats will be filled with dogs that have been taken out to the ball game by their owners.
The canine fans and their humans will be on the Southwest Flight Deck for Pup-Night at PNC Park. Because the 200 to 300 seats set aside for dogs nearly sold out within days of the Pup-Night announcement, a second Pup-Night has been scheduled for Sept. 26, when the Pirates play Houston.
In news releases and interviews, Pirates officials pointedly avoid any references to the park or the team "going to the dogs," sticking to the preferred "pup" references.
Tickets in the dog-friendly section will be $20 per person, and the Pirates will donate $5 from each of those tickets to the Animal Friends shelter. Only one dog per person is permitted.
"We like to do programs that attract new audiences to the ball park," said Tim Schuldt, Pirates vice president of marketing, sales and broadcasting.
The Pirates have plans to accommodate the needs of the canine fans.
"There's a big deck behind those seats on the Flight Deck. It will be a doggie comfort zone for the dogs," Mr. Schuldt said. "This event will be tasteful and first class. We want the dogs, their owners and all the fans to be comfortable."
So what's in a doggie comfort zone? Water troughs, sod areas and bags for pet owners to use to clean up after their dogs.
"This is a really great thing," said Paige Novack, a marketing communications specialist in the New York offices of Major League Baseball. "A number of teams have been doing this, some for nearly 10 years."
At least 10 Major League ball clubs have regularly been hosting some form of dogs-in-the park activities, including the Florida Marlins, San Diego Padres and the Texas Rangers, said Brian Warecki, Pirates director of business communications. Both the Mets and the Yankees open their doors, once or twice a year, to dogs.
Dog-related games and activities vary from club to club. At a Mets game, for instance, the dogs got to parade around the ball field. The San Francisco Giants called their event "Bark in the Park," which was attended by more than 500 dogs.
Dogs are required to be well-behaved, up to date on vaccinations and must be "people and pup-friendly." And somehow that has worked, Ms. Novack said.
She has been to several dog games, one with her shar-pei mix, Kaya. "It's really, really cute and fun," she said. Kaya "just loved it, especially the three hot dogs she ate."
Though only a limited number of dogs will have their day inside the park on the two Pirates pup nights, both will include free dog-friendly pregame activities on Federal Street from 5 to 7 p.m.
A "hos-pup-tality tent" will have pup-beds, pup-chairs, a fenced-in roaming area and a dog snack sampling bar.
Dogs can take a run through an obstacle course and can check out booths along Federal Street that feature massages, grooming stations and pup-psychic sessions, as well as educational displays.
Other free Federal Street activities include a dog beauty pageant and fetching contests hosted by members of the KDKA-TV news team.
Owners can get free photos of their dog riding with a Pirates mascot in a Vespa sidecar.
Local dogs will get a chance to audition on the Aug. 29 Pup-Night for a trip to New York City and an appearance on the "Stupid Pet Tricks" segment of CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman."
To order tickets for Pup-Night, or to obtain further information, call Kevin Roach at 412-325-4797.
Dogs will have another chance to enter PNC Park on Sept. 14 for an event called "Pup Flicks." There won't be a ball game that night, but family-oriented dog movies will be shown, Mr. Schuldt said. He expects 3,000 to 6,000 people to attend the event, which will be free. Further details will be available at a later date.
First Published August 21, 2006 12:00 am
