I spent most of this past Sunday afternoon lazing around Mission Creek Park with my pup, Happy, and my boyfriend. We spread out a blanket, soaked up the sun (yay Indian summer!) and Happy enjoyed his favorite dirty dog activity of rolling around like a maniac in the grass. Mission Creek Park is a hidden gem near AT&T Park in San Francisco and it’s my favorite place to take Happy. The park is so close to where the Giants play, we could see the jumbotron and couldn’t help but notice more than one pooch pop up on the screen.

Turns out we were missing the annual Dog Days of Summer Event at AT&T Park! On Dog Days, which happen each season, AT&T Park invites canines to the stadium to watch the ballgame and, I imagine, enjoy a hot dog. The event also included a pre-game pet parade and costume contest. Dog Days of Summer is a fundraiser for the San Francisco SPCA.

And although the Bay Area is the most dog friendly place I’ve ever been, the San Francisco Giants aren’t the only major leaguers to open up their gates to well behaved doggies. Fifteen different MLB teams host their own Dog Days/Bark in the Park/Puppypalooza/Pup Night events. You and Fido — assuming Fido is okay with noisy crowds — might still have a chance to watch America’s favorite pastime together depending on where you live. The Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Nationals are all hosting dog friendly events during the month of September. Check out the full schedule of ballpark dog events.

Image via @SFGiants Twitpic feed