Wiener dogs outdraw stakes race
The Fort Erie Race Track had its biggest day of the season Sunday for what might be called the Prince of Wieners Stakes – the day 72 wiener dogs took over the track.
They ran, at least some of them did. Many of them even crossed the finish line, to leap into the arms of their owners. A few trotted over to greet the photographers at the side of the track.
Most of them stopped to play along the way and at least one ran the length of the 25-metre course, stopped just before the finish line, looked its owner in the eye and turned around and ran the other way.
The crowd cheered and laughed.
“There was such a huge outpouring of interest,” said Sheila Banks, of Buffalo.
Her 11-year-old dachshund Rosie didn’t train for the event, she joked, “just a lot of mini Milk Bones. That’s her workout.”
Possibly for the first time ever, the track offered something other than horse racing. After the eight regular races were done, out came the wiener dogs in six heats of 12 dogs.
One owner held them at the starting gate – the same one normally used by the thoroughbreds – while another owner or friend waited 25 metres down the track at the finish line.
It was serious business, sort of. Four pages of rules were posted online by the racetrack. Owners could use squeaky toys or rubber balls to lure their dogs at the finish, but not food. And no fighting was allowed between dogs or owners, though that was never an issue.
The dogs attracted the biggest crowd of the season to the track, topping even the Prince of Wales
Stakes. Organizers estimated 8,000 to 10,000 fans packed the stands.
“We were expecting wiener dog races to be one of our bigger events this season, but it was far more successful than we anticipated, with an overwhelmingly large crowd,” said track spokeswoman Antonietta Culic.
“Wiener dog races are definitely going to be an annual event … and we are already brainstorming ways to make it more successful next year.”
The oldest dog, Butch, was 13 years old while little Yoshi was only five months.
They battled canine competitors like Ravioli, Daisy, Pedro Gonzales and Oscar ‘Stink’ Brown for trophies. From the field of 72, the pack was eventually whittled down to the final 12.
Some dogs broke from the starting gate; others stood around or played. Some might be out there still if not for owners who picked them up and carried them to the end.
Dale Born of Niagara Falls had five-year-old Winston ready to run. He brought his orange tennis ball and was going to use it to draw Winston to victory.
“This is his pride and joy. He chases it all day,” said Born, who owns the dog with his mother. “I actually took a slo-mo video just to see what his movements are like.
“He resembles a cheetah,” Born laughed. “He kind of jumps off his hind legs and moves forward. I’m really close to the guy who owns my gym. He was going to hook me up with a couple of weights, I was going to make a little sled of it.”
The ultimate wiener dog champion was Willis, a three-year-old dachshund owned by Erika Smilovsky of Brampton.