The 17th annual Wiener Nationals, sponsored by Wienerschnitzel, took place at the Los Alamitos Race Course this past Saturday, July 14. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Seal Beach Animal Care Center, a non-profit group dedicated to finding home for stray animals in Orange County. Since 1996, the Wiener Nationals have helped raise about $200,000 for the Care Center.
From hot dog bun costumes to team t-shirts and attire, participants showcased their wiener dog stars as people took to their places in the stands before the race commenced at 6 pm. Throughout the event, the audience was able to take photos with the Wienerschnitzel mascot, place their bets, or enjoy a hot dog.
Overall, 98 dachshunds participated in the event with eight dogs competing in each of the 12 trial heats, contested over a distance of 50 yards. The winner of each trial heat advanced to the championships.
In between every two wiener dog heats were eight quarter horse races, packing the excitement that the Weiner Nationals has to offer, with people placing their bets based on the stats of the riders and quality of the horse.
At the end of the night, one mighty wiener dog came out victorious. Mr. Schnitzel, owned by Lois and Luis Hernandez of Newbury Park, California, was crowned the 2012 Wiener Nationals Champion after being the runner-up in last year’s Wiener Nationals. The champions walked away with a $1,000 cash prize and a chance to compete against 87 other wiener dogs in the Wiener Nationals Finals, taking place on August 4th at the Holiday Bowl in San Diego.
The runner-up was Riley, owned by Brittany Hayes of Huntington Beach, who walked away with a $500 cash prize. Other notables who qualified for the championship race include Lori Ottoson’s Oodles of Noodles of Riverside, Ellen Dusch’s Chloe of Mission Viejo, Richy Taylor’s Sammi of Los Angeles, and Lisa and Maurice Chevalier’s Truffle from Costa Mesa.
The Los Alamitos Race Course is located at 4961 Katella Avenue in Los Alamitos. For more information, call 714-820-2690.
For more information regarding the Seal Beach Animal Care Center or how to sign up your dachshund for the 2013 Wiener Nationals, call 562-430-4993 or 714-820-2690, respectively.