SAN FRANCISCO -- On a recent Saturday, BARK was working McCovey Cove, an inlet some 120 meters from home plate of the San Francisco Giants' new bayside ballpark.
BARK (Baseball Aquatic Retrieval Korps) and their handlers must have been feeling a little frustrated: After two months on the job, they had yet to retrieve a single ball.
On this day however, a ball sailed out during batting practice, splashed into the water and 8-year-old Shadow, one of the stars of the squad of six Portuguese water dogs, sat, poised for action.