This Saturday at Ellis Park, the wiener takes it all: Eleven top dogs will dash to the finish line in the 2022 Wiener Dog Championship Race.
The event runs from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., with gates opening at 10 a.m. A qualifying race will be staged first, and the dirt track finals are scheduled for 1:30 p.m. The winner will be crowned Ellis Park’s 100th Anniversary “Best in Show.”
The race not only is adorable but also raises money and awareness for local animal shelters. Visitors will be able to learn about five shelters: NewLife Rescues and Adoptions in Mount Vernon, Indiana; New Hope Animal Rescue in Henderson, Kentucky; P.A.A.W.S. No-Kill Animal Rescue in Newburgh, Indiana; and Feline Fix and the Vanderburgh Humane Society in Evansville.
The event is presented by animal rescue advocates Brian Buxton and Missy Mosby. Both organizers want the event to bring awareness to what the shelters do on a daily basis, what their needs are, how people can support them, and how they help not only local animals but also local families. Many area shelters offer low-cost vaccine clinics and spaying and neutering, free food programs, and TNR (trap, neuter, release) for feral cats.
“They not only help homeless and abused animals in the area, but they also help reunite lost animals with their families and help low income or struggling families keep the pets they already have in their homes,” Buxton says.
Admission is free. Event attendees can purchase commemorative race T-shirts and merchandise — with proceeds benefiting a local shelter — and enjoy family-friendly activities like face painting and meeting adoptable dogs. Buxton also encourages community members to support local shelters and rescues in whatever means is accessible to them, via adopting, fostering, sponsoring, volunteering, donating, educating, or advocating — that’s why the event’s hashtag is #AFSVDEA.
Find out more about Saturday’s race by visiting Ellis Park’s Facebook page.
The championship wiener dog race finalists are:
#1 Turbo – Male – Red – The Capshaw Family
#2 Frank – Male – White/Black – The Mosby Family
#3 Betty – Female – Blonde – The Brown Family
#4 Dexter – Male – Chocolate – The Gaston Family
#5 Louie – Male – Red – The Emge Family
#6 Judy – Female – Red – The Settle Family
#7 Leo – Male – Black/Brown – The Gebhardt Family
#8 Ellie Sparkles – Female – Black/Tan – The Stauder Family
#9 Franklin – Male – Black/White – The Phillips Family
#10 Mett – Male – Cream/Brown – The Mosby Family
#11 Prince – Male – Chocolate – The Vandenberg Family
