A group of Texas shelter dogs are getting to enjoy a night out at the ballpark.
The Texas Rangers are hosting 10 dogs from Irving Animal Services for Bark at the Park Tuesday night as the MLB club faces the San Francisco Giants.
The shelter pets are among hundreds of dogs expected to be in attendance at Globe Life Field in Arlington. A select number of fans were able to purchase theme night tickets allowing them to bring their dog to the game.
But the Rangers also provided complimentary tickets to the shelter dogs, along with the Irving Animal Services’ staff and volunteers who escorted the canines during their night out.
“We hope this special opportunity helps these shelter pets connect with future families and find the loving homes they deserve,” said Karin Morris, Rangers senior VP of community impact and executive director of the Rangers Baseball Foundation, in a statement.
The shelter dogs range in age from an 8-month-old pointer/terrier mix named Runner to an 8-year-old German shepherd mix named Osa. And the baseball game won’t be the dogs’ only special experience this week, either.
Adam Goldberg, co-founder of Stronger Shot Adoption Photos, held a photo shoot with the pets Monday. Stronger Shot aims to help shelter animals make a stronger first impression to prospective pet parents through professional photography and videography.
“I always say we have amazing dogs available for adoption—and while that may sound biased, it’s absolutely true,” said Egan Dobson, outreach coordinator for Irving Animal Services, in a statement. “These dogs are loving, smart, and so deserving of a second chance.”
“I’m excited not only for them to enjoy such a fun night out, but for people to see just how special shelter dogs truly are.”
The Bark at the Park event comes just days after NBCUniversal Local’s Clear The Shelters kicked off its 12th annual adoption campaign. Irving Animal Services is a founding Clear The Shelters participating location; the shelter in 2014 was part of an adoption led by NBC 5 DFW and Telemundo 39 Dallas that inspired the nationwide campaign.
Irving Animal Services saw 182 adoptions during last year’s Clear The Shelters campaign. The 2026 adoption campaign is being held for the entire month of August, while the donation campaign runs through Sept. 15.
“These shelter dogs have been through a lot, so we wanted to give them a great experience to kick off Clear The Shelters in a unique way in the heart of the campaign’s North Texas birthplace,” said Meredith McGinn, NBC Local’s executive VP of diginets and original production, in a statement.
For more information on Clear The Shelters, including participating shelters, along with details on local events and television programming, visit ClearTheShelters.com and the Spanish-language site DesocuparlosAlbergues.com. Follow Clear The Shelters on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
