"Keeping cool," Hudson Valley, July 2006

The staff of the Hudson Valley Renegades ensures that their unofficial mascot stays cool on a hot day as they give the fans some brief relief.

Day 364 of 365

Casey and Cassie

As Casey looked through her newest restaurant cookbook, Cassie made herself comfortable.

Day 311 of 365

8th Ave. on a Saturday

This hefty bulldog was awaiting his owner outside a takeout restaurant.

Day 289 of 365

One Poochini, please

I love going to Shake Shack on cool days -- short line, but the burger's just as good. This guy knows what I'm talking about.

Day 194 of 365

Not as lonely as it appears

I felt sorry for the big guy, until I passed him and noticed that his leash is tied to his owner's chair at the restaurant. He's just looking for sympathy.

Day 144 of 365

Penny watches the bocce action

Despite the nature of the game -- balls being tossed around the lawn -- Penny had little interest in our bocce game on the Cape. Kathy and Casey had a lot of interest in Penny -- and their cocktails. Summer's great.

Day 38 of 365

Earflop

Clark enjoys a romp in my friend's yard on a pleasant 50-degree afternoon in central New Jersey.

"Trenton's four-legged batboy," New Jersey, August 2006

"Trenton's four-legged batboy," New Jersey, August 2006

Whenever I go see the minor-league Trenton Thunder, I can't help myself -- no matter how many similar pictures I have of Chase, That Golden Thunder, retrieving one of the player's bats in the first inning, I have to take more.

The dog is owned by the team and lives with one of the front-office employees. A handler sits with him next to the Thunder dugout during the bottom of the first, sending him out to the plate to retreive the wood after an at-bat. Each time, Chase sniffs and rolls the bat, often needing two or three attempts before finding both a balance between the weight of the heavier barrel and lighter handle and a section with not too much pine tar. Overall, the process, in the end, probably takes longer for the four-legged batboy than it does the two-legged one who handles the rest of the game, but the fans get a kick out of it.

After the first inning, Chase disappears until the sixth, when he emerges with his handler to run down frisbees in right field. It's tied to a promotion, where a fan earns money for each catch -- either $5 per snag, or increasing $5 increments for each one.