CORAL GABLES, Fla. — It was “game, set, fetch” in Coral Gables on Saturday as thousands of tennis balls filled a South Florida dog park, giving pups a chance to run, play and celebrate the Miami Open in a unique way.

Chewy Bark Park, located near the 4500 block of Ponce de Leon Boulevard along The Underline, hosted a tennis ball drop featuring about 10,000 tennis balls spread across the lawn, creating what organizers described as a giant ball pit for dogs.

“It’s just been amazing to see all the dogs out here enjoying the tennis balls,” said Lisa-Marie Curti, brand activations lead at Chewy. “Something, you know, they enjoy on an individual level, but it’s so great to see just the excitement when it’s thousands, tens of thousands of tennis balls here today.”

Curti said the event was designed to tie into Miami’s tennis season while also connecting with the local community.

“We wanted to make sure that we were connected to all of the things going on that people were excited about and said, how do we bring that for the dogs? Because after all, dogs are just part of the family, so we want to make sure they’re included in the fun also,” she added.

The park, which opened earlier this year, has quickly become a gathering place for pet owners. Organizers said Saturday’s event was the second major activation at the site.

“It’s just been a great time,” said dog owner Monica Smith. “The community is great. You meet a lot of people with their friends, with their dogs, and it’s great. It’s really, really great.”

In addition to the fun on the field, Chewy said it plans to donate tennis balls to more than 15 shelters and rescues across Miami so even more dogs can take part in the experience.

The free event ran from 9 a.m. to noon.

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