Indians Puppypalooza Recap, 6 Weeks Later

So, this is a post that I've been meaning to share since June 18. Better late than never! On June 17, the Cleveland Indians hosted their annual Puppypalooza event. They typically do this in June and September, but it looks like this year June was the only one. I have been meaning to take Woody to this since we moved downtown 2 years ago, but something has always come up. Finally, I secured tickets ahead of time and cleared my schedule. I'm so glad I did! This is now one of my favorite Indians promotions. They truly ensure dogs and humans have a good time. Plus, they have a multitude of volunteers from the Cleveland APL and Banfield Pet Hospital to make sure everything runs smoothly.

Curt, Woody and I arrived early because prior to the game there is a parade in which all the dogs and their owners get to walk the warning track. It's been unseasonably cool this summer, but I can say that this might have been one of the hottest days we've had thus far. The dogs were panting and the humans were sweating, and we waited about 30 min. before heading down to the field. Once we got out there, I could not believe how many dogs were actually in attendance. There had to have been at least 300.

As we got out of the gate we realized that walking onto the field is forbidden and monitored by volunteers, but I didn't see anyone trying to push their luck. After walking the field, humans and dogs were able to pick wherever they want to sit on the Budweiser Patio. I was slightly nervous about this, given that Woody can be a little territorial when he's on the leash. But, everyone's dogs were really well-behaved and people followed the leash rules and gave other owners/dogs some distance to avoid mass chaos. Woody did decide to single out a husky and another larger dog in front of us that he just felt like he didn't like and kept growling and barking at them when they would look at him as if he was offended by their presence. I would give him a B+ for behavior skills.

Another key thing that I think made a difference was that they did not do any fireworks during home runs like normal. This is a big deal since fireworks and thunder are sever anxiety inducers for dogs.

All in all, I highly recommend this to dog owners next year. Check out my slideshow below and comment to tell me if you were in attendance and what you liked most about the event!