Dachshund racing

Dachshund racing, or wiener dog racing, is a popular, yet controversial sporting event, primarily found in North America. Typical Dachshund races are either 25 or 50 yards in length, and are run on various surfaces. Many race tracks across America host these events as fundraising or publicity events, and routinely draw the venues' largest attendance numbers of the year.

Dachshund racing
Wiener dog racing in Buda, Texas

In the less formal events, most entrants are not career racers, nor bred for racing. Often, dogs will choose not to run the length of the course and instead visit with other dogs or the owner that released them. Otherwise, dogs will run swiftly to their owner at the finish line, coaxed by food or toys.

The de facto national championship of wiener dog racing is the Wienerschnitzel Wiener Nationals, held in San Diego, California, every December as part of the Holiday Bowl; however, there are many other venues that claim title to the true "national" champion.

History

Dachshund racing was first held in Australia in the 1970s. The early meets featured Whippet, Afghan Hound, and Dachshund racing, purely for fun. The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in California holds an annual Doxie Derby as part of the university's Picnic Day event.[1] For over 30 years the races have been a fundraiser for veterinary students.[2]

The sport rose in popularity in North America after a 1993 Miller Lite television commercial that listed odd sports, and continued to grow after the release of Wiener Takes All, a documentary film that chronicles two years of the Wiener Nationals circuit.[3] In 2009, the Wiener Dog Nationals in Fort Wayne, Indiana, held its 16th annual Dachshund race. Zeus, the Germanfest champ from 2006-2009, is generally recognized as the greatest racing dachshund of all time.[4] Germantown, Tennessee, a suburb of Memphis, also hosts its own 'Running of the Wienies' for charity.[5]

In 2016, the town of Bungendore in New South Wales, Australia held the inaugural Werriwa Wiener Dash to raise funds for Dachshund Rescue Australia.[6] On 29 January 2017, the second Werriwa Wiener Dash was held which set the record for the most number of dachshunds in one place outside of a dog show with 154 dachshunds in attendance.[7]

The sport was introduced to Canada in 2018 with the launch of an annual race at Fort Erie Race Track, which proved a major success for the track.[8]

Criticism

While some compare the sport to English and later American Greyhound racing, others see it as cruel and risky. Racing can strain the spines of the dogs, and some suspect that the sport can lead to the abuse of racing animals.[9]

The Dachshund Club of America opposes dachshund races, because the breed has a genetic predisposition to back injuries.[10]

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References
  1. Ternus-Bellamy, A. UC Davis may be the home of the Aggies, but on Picnic Day, it seems it’s all about the dogs. Davis Enterprise April 17, 2008.
  2. School of Veterinary Medicine Doxie Derby big crowd pleaser at UC Davis Picnic Day. Archived 2015-10-05 at the Wayback Machine UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. April 15, 2008.
  3. Dogs in a hurry. The Economist. May 2, 2009. pg. 45.
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-09-20. Retrieved 2009-07-14.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. Cashiola, Mary. "Dachshund Dash". Memphis Flyer. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  6. "Dachshund Rescue Australia - We rescue and privately rehome dachshunds across Australia". Dachshundrescueaustralia.com.au. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  7. Ellery, David (29 January 2017). "Werriwa Wiener dash claims world dachsund record". Canberra Times. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  8. "Forest Erie Race Track Going To The Dogs Again". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  9. "The wiener takes all at the dachshund races | The Star". Thestar.com. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  10. Spocchia, Gino; Lowe, Yohannes (March 31, 2018). "Sausage dog registrations surge sparking fears of back problems". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
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