Rin Tin Tin is not welcome at Petco Park. The German shepherd breed is one of as many as 15 that can’t take part in the San Diego Padres’ annual Dog Days of Summer promotion at the ball park.
Ted Lew learned this the hard way. He owns a German shepherd named Joey. He planned to take him to the event, which will be held next Friday.
He struck out, though.
At first he had no idea why. He had signed up early. His credit card had been charged for the ticket. The team’s explanation, which came in a form letter, was this: overwhelming demand and limited space.
That was hardly the truth.
It turned out that Lew was denied because his breed of dog is blacklisted by the Padres. It was only after Lew made several calls to the Padres that he learned about the ban.
The Padres say the breed restriction is for safety reasons, but they wouldn’t say just which breeds are off-limits. They would only say the number is between 10 and 15.
The list is part of an “internal document that we’re not at liberty to release,†Mark Guglielmo, vice president of ballpark operations for the Padres, said Friday...
