National Dog Day celebrations across the MLB (Photos)

It’s National Dog Day and that means loads of pictures with athletes and their four-legged best friends.

National Dog Day is a big deal across the nation, across all sports. But it’s an especially big deal in Major League Baseball, where baseball fans and players like to dress their pooches up in gear and take adorable photos of them during the Dog Days of Summer.

Dogs have long been a part of the baseball tradition. Several ballparks across the nation host dog day events where fans bring their dogs to the park to watch a game. And why not? What’s better than sharing a warm summer day with your best friend?

Let’s take a look at how some teams around the country (and world) are celebrating National Dog Day and the Dog Days of Summer.

The San Diego Padres call Petco Park their home, so it’s no wonder that the team takes time during spring training every year to create a calendar featuring adorable shelter dogs. (While several of the players shown have since been traded, it’s still epic cuteness)

https://twitter.com/Padres/status/769239402543325184

The San Francisco Giants held a SF Giants Dog Days Parade last Sunday, and fans got really creative for this one. Here’s video of the parade itself:

The event drew over 400 dogs to AT&T Park, and the four-legged additions were welcomed by fans:

https://twitter.com/RoseBallantine/status/767499537116127233

The finalists included dogs of all breeds and all sizes:

https://twitter.com/SFGiants/status/767504072173760512

The winner was an orange and black poodle named Harvey Cueto in honor of pitcher Johnny Cueto:

National Dog Day celebrations aren’t limited to the West Coast. The Cleveland Indians took time today to share more photos from their calendar, featuring Tyler Naquin and Yan Gomes with their pooches.

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Watch for more National Dog Day events at Friday’s games and throughout the weekend.