The D-backs have "signed a multiyear partnership" with PetSmart to create a "permanent dog-friendly area at Chase Field that will be the first of its kind" in MLB, according to Eric Fisher of SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. The deal will create the "PetSmart Patio beyond the left center field wall on Chase Field's main concourse" and an indoor/outdoor dog park directly behind it. The areas will be a "focal point of a new Dog Days of Summer program," in which fans can bring their dogs to all 13 Sunday home games this season. The patio will "seat 125 people" and feature "dog-friendly concessions such as canine ice cream topped with kibble." During the Dog Days of Summer program, PetSmart will also "run a pet adoption area and Doggie Bag fan giveaways." While PetSmart was "long a key fixture" on the D-backs' sponsorship target list, the company had "not engaged with the club" for years. Financial terms were not disclosed, but sources said that the agreement is "worth at least mid-six figures annually" and puts PetSmart among the team's "more significant corporate partners" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 2/29 issue).
