Bark in the Park is such a fun thing.

On Sunday, you get to take your little buddy, the dog, to a ballgame in downtown Phoenix to see the Arizona Diamondback whip up on the Giants.

You, the dog, the family can all go to the game. You could even be the Paul Goldschmidt of the group (baseball reference) and hot dogs for everyone!

Check out our calendar entry for Bark in the Park 2013.

Want to make a day of it? Coach & Willies as well as Majerle’s Sports Grill  welcome dogs on the patio, incase you and the pooch want to make a pit stop before the game.

Speaking of pit stops, there’s a grassy area located outside Chase Field’s Gate K (northeast entry) that is designated as an animal-relief area.

And if you get the fever for more dog friendly baseball games, check out the games with our division rivals:

• San Diego Padres  Dog Days of Summer – Tuesday, July 9th at 7:10 pm
• San Francisco Giants  Dog Days of Summer – Sunday, August 25th at 1:05 pm
• Los Angeles Dodgers  Bark in the Park – Saturday, Sept 28th at TBD

It’s going to be triple-digit weather in Phoenix this weekend and when the temperatures get to 105, it’s time to start thinking about how you and the dog are going to keep cool.

May we recommend a deluxe pet-friendly resort that will pamper your pooch as well as you?

Check out our just updated list of dog-friendly resorts in metro Phoenix and Tucson.

And many of the dog-friendly resorts are listed in our friend Dawn Gilbertson’s guide to great 2013 resort deals as featured in The Arizona Republic.

See you poolside!

Phoenix is blessed with some great in-town hiking areas that you can share with your dog. A class being offered at North Mountain Visitor Center gives you and your canine buddy some great advice and training in a beautiful desert setting.

Classes are taught by Leslie Spencer-Snider and cost $15 each or four sessions for $40. They are held every Saturday morning through the end of June. Look for Leslie and the dogs near the picnic tables behind the center.

Topics include:

• Conditioning your dog and yourself for the trail
• Proper etiquette on the trail with your dog and you!
• Emergency first aid and how to handle an emergency
• Hiking with a backpack on your dog
• Proper care for your dog’s paws
• How to handle wildlife encounters
• How to handle horseback riders
• How to handle mountain bike riders

It’s not your imagination – there are practically no dog-related events in metro Phoenix during these blazingly hot days. Probably because it is not fit for man nor beast out there right now.

But if you are going stir-crazy in the house, there’s always the stalwart Urban Beans Monday Movie Night. The central Phoenix coffeehouse/restaurant is showing “City Island’’ this Monday. Cartoons begin at 7 p.m.; movie starts at 7:30 p.m.

I admit I had to Google “City Island’’ to refresh my memory. It stars Andy Garcia as head of dysfunctional Bronx family who gets shaken up by the arrival of an ex-con. IMDb gives it 7.4 out of 10 rating.

I don’t have to Google Short Leash Hot Dogs which sets up at Urban Beans on Movie Night. Short Leash is yummy-licious and worth dragging yourself out of the house even on the hottest of nights.

Looking for another dog-related movie outing? There’s always the drive-in theater in Glendale. It’s the only left in the Valley and it is currently showing: Brave and The Avengers (love The Avengers!) Technically, dogs are not allowed at the drive-in but that rule is almost never enforced.

Here’s a nugget gleaned from a recent city of Phoenix meeting to discuss a downtown Phoenix dog park: there may be more dog parks coming to metro Phoenix.

City of Phoenix Parks officials said dog parks are planned to be part of:

• Deems Park: 51st Avenue north of Happy Valley Road
• Reach 11: just north of the Central Arizona Project canal between Cave Creek Road and Scottsdale Road.
• Black Mountain: a new park that is scheduled to go in around Cave Creek Road; 56th Street and Dove Valley Road
• Del Rio Park: along the Salt River (this is just a possibility)

This is all pending funding.

Dog park advocates point out that compared to other cities such as Denver and Seattle, Phoenix is lacking when it comes to dog parks. City park officials point out that it costs $280,000 to build a two-acre dog park and dog parks require more landscaping maintenance and upkeep.

Want to know more about dog parks in your area? Contact your councilperson whether you live in Phoenix, Mesa or Avondale.

Want to see a nifty map of existing dog parks — check this out!

Here at Happy Dog Phoenix, we are big fans of movie night at Urban Beans, a central Phoenix coffeehouse. It’s a cool, dog-friendly event, which in Phoenix in the summer, can be hard to find. Screening starts at twilight — get there early for a good seat.

Here’s a clip from this Monday’s showing “The Wizard of Oz” just to get you in the mood. Toto, by the way, rocks. Think of how distracting it must have been to work with Munchkins — Toto probably was looking for a new agent by the time the filming was over.

Turns out your dog loves running as much as you do. A recent study by University of Arizona shows that dogs get happy when they run just like certain crazy people I know.

Here’s the study.

Just remember that it’s hot in Phoenix now and running should be done early in the morning or late in the evening.

Vamos!

Judging from the web traffic on Happy Dog Phoenix, Bark in the Park, where you get to bring your dog to Chase Field for a baseball game, is going to be a lot of fun.

And the Arizona Diamondbacks is reporting that the event is sold out! That’s great because $5 of every ticket goes to Arizona Animal Welfare League.

So if you are headed downtown Phoenix with the dog, is there anything place else to hang out before the game?

If you want to tire the dog out before hitting the ballpark, consider strolling through Heritage and Science Park. There’s not a ton of grass but it offers more than Arizona Center or Cityscape.

It will also let you check out some of the folks from Comicon, the freak, geek and superhero convention being held downtown.  Seen strolling around the convention center this morning: the Joker, Carmen San Diego, the Flash and assorted Storm Troopers. Maybe you could tease Fido’s fur up a bit, add some hair product, and have him go as a Wookie.

Anyway, back to the ball park. Coach & Willies as well as Majerle’s Sports Grill  welcome dogs on the patio, incase you and the pooch want to make a pit stop before the game.

Speaking of pit stops, there’s a grassy area located outside Chase Field’s Gate K (northeast entry) that is designated as an animal-relief area.

How to get to the ballpark? Here’s what Metro Light Rail says about bringing dogs on board the train:

Operators may ask any passenger if their animal is a service animal and/or if the animal assists them with their disability, but may not require certification or identification for service animals. Passengers using service animals must keep their animals under control and the animal must not pose a threat to other passengers. Failure to do so may result in the passenger being requested to exit the bus.

If the animal is a pet, it must travel in a carrier.

Or you can always drive in, park a little further out and get a rickshaw for you and your buddy. Rickshaws are most plentiful north of Chase Field.

See you at the ball park!

Your dog wants to get out on the town as much as you do. She’d love to go to the movies with you but most movie chains don’t want canines in their Las Vegas-like multiplexes. Don’t fear — it’s time to go to Urban Beans coffee house in central Phoenix for their dog-friendly movie showing.

Monday night’s feature: “Little Miss Sunshine.” Just seeing the trailer again made me smile.

As always, the uber-yummy Short Leash Hot Dogs is on hand to dish out delicious dogs of the eating variety.

See you in the cheap seats!