By Kate Ulrich
Twenty-two more short-legged, wet-nosed canines strutted onto the track on Sunday, June 26th for Weiner Dog Heats 3 & 4. The top 3 finishers from each heat will return on the 4th of July for the championship race.
Although there were only a total of about 8 dogs that decided to leave the gate (sorry intern Steven…) the ones that did run, brought their A-game.
Let’s meet the weiner winners from Sunday – here are you championship qualifiers:
Ela Von Dauschund showed up her stable mate, Brat (heat 4), by finishing 2nd in heat 3. Ela is only a 9 pound weiner dog, but she sure had a lot of speed in her. Her owners tell us that after a nice run she enjoys soaking up the rays – her and Spud (one of last week’s qualifiers) were spotted at a local Shakopee beach on Wednesday. Hopefully all that Vitamin D has her revved up and ready to go on the 4th.
Everyone was wondering about this dog during Sunday’s qualifiers – to settle the dispute, he is a full weiner! Tommy weighs in at 24 pounds, but that did not slow him down one bit in Sunday’s races. All it took was a yummy treat to get this boy to run. We’ll see what the 4th brings for this cutie.
The longest shot on the board at 25-1 came in 1st place on Sunday. Philly, not to be confused with a female horse (filly), trained for the race during his daily mail runs. Philly must have been ready for his treat because he did not give the other dogs a chance. He shot out of the gate and had a beautiful run. This long shot could turn into a favorite on the 4th. Keep your eyes on this weiner.
There weren’t any small children for Ellie to chase out on the track on Sunday, but that didn’t stop her from using her stellar speed on the track. Hopefully the track conditions are in her favor for the championships, this weiner can run!
At only 11 pounds and 20 inches long, this dog was still able to devour her new toy when she got to the finish line. There must be something about the soft surface that makes her run, as she loves playing tennis ball on the beach. I wonder what her new toy will look like next week?
These six dogs will be competing for the title on Monday, July 4th out here at Canterbury Park. Live racing starts at 1:30pm.
Ozzie, Ela Von Dauschund, Tommy, Philly, Ellie and Pretzel go nose to nose with Huey, Taco, Patches, Daxter, Spud and Bosco. Don’t miss out!
Free hot dogs, a hot dog eating contest and Weiner Dog Championships…it’s sure to be a Weiner-ful 4th of July! See you then!