People who love wiener dogs are the best

Staffer Mom's gotten a lot of good notes since the race from dachshunds and their staffers who were there. Lots of people and dogs had fun, and that's what matters.

One family drove from Maryland and wanted her to know how much fun they had on the trip and during the race. They say they'll be back next year.
Another family drove from across the state and said they loved the city and the race, too.

One wiener's staffer helped out another couple by sitting outside with the wieners while the couple went in to a restaurant for a nice lunch. The couple appreciated her kindness so much, they bought her a lunch gift certificate.

And that's our point: Wiener dogs and their staffers have special bonds only other wieners and staffers understand. And that's that.

Racin' on the Savannah River

The staff has returned with tales of another great Savannah Wiener Dog Race on River Street. There's no better way to celebrate Octoberfest on the River!
More than 130 wieners racing and lots of great people there to watch. Wow!

We're sorry we missed it, but the staff showed us the video and some photos and that's all good.
Here are the Savannah Morning News links for the photo gallery and video so you can watch, too.

We're going to go watch the staff drink a beer. There won't be a video for that.

The lost art of supervision

From Bandit: So today, Staffer Mom came home and got me -- I knew it had to be important. She needed help. The folks were setting up the Savannah Wiener Race track and they needed guidance.
Boy, did they.
Only a real dachshund can show humans how to set up a decent race track.

Darn glad I was available. (Maggie wasn't allowed to go....and she would've been a pain in the butt anyway. A construction site is no place for a princess.)


So I ended up spending my afternoon on River Street in Savannah directing the construction of the race track for tomorrow 's wiener races. I really don't know what they were thinking -- they nearly forgot the whole finish-line fence, and they totally didn't remember to push the gates up so they wouldn't drag in the grass on the start.
But I reminded them, and it's pretty smooth now.

The photos are of the construction, and the last one is of me sitting in the middle of the track testing it for traction and quick paw release. It's a good track.

We're looking forward to a fast day!

A couple days....

The running of the wieners is only a few days away. We're really excited, and we're holding hope for a change of heart from the staff. They've told us we can't go, but we think they'll relent and take us.
The field is set late Friday -- gates, tables, tents, stage and the track. We really want to be able to go. What do you all think?

Gearing up for the race?

It's only 8 days until the Savannah Wiener Dog Races, so Staffer Mom went out today to scout the course.
She reports good track conditions, slightly damp grass, but well-maintained.
Here's a photo from our point of view so you racers will know what to expect:


If the mowing is fresh and there's no rain within 12 hours of the race, we expect a fast track.
We hear the field is growing daily now, with at least 3 dozen already entered and more to come. Remind you staff: Pre-registration closes on Oct. 1. If you pre-register, there's more time to play!

Get ready. We're in the countdown.

About that Waving Girl statue....

It's time for us to remind all of you about the Savannah Wiener Dog Races coming up in October.
They'll be in downtown Savannah on River Street near the Waving Girl statue on Oct. 3....you can pre-register to run at this link. Preregistration is better because you can get through the line faster and play more!

The location is a terrific one -- cool grass to play in and lots of breeze. But, there's only one problem: We've realized the dog sculpture with the Waving Girl is NOT a dachshund.
It's got a decent snout on it, but its ears are all wrong.
If it didn't look so much like Lassie, we'd really complain. (Careful readers know how much we love Lassie.)

And yes, we've been told the statues are based on real beings but it just doesn't seem appropriate now that the annual wiener run is such an important part of Savannah's Octoberfest. We think they should at least add a new dog friend for Waving Girl. The other one can stay, but there really should be a wiener dog there, too.

Staffer Mom says things change slowly in Savannah and if things got changed out for reasons of appropriateness and reality then Waving Girl would be holding a beer in a 16-ounce foam cup instead of a towel or whatever it is she's waving.
We like to think she's signaling for another beer.

Digging, sniffing and a bath all in a weekend

The title of today's blog pretty much sums up our weekend. We did a lot of snoozing, too, but felt more strongly about the other three. Staffer Dad took Bandit on a ride to the gas station, so that was big, too.
We spent the rest of the afternoon checking in on the Wiener Nationals -- lots of prep and great dogs were running. Here's the link to one of our favorite blogs where they've posted lots of reports, photos and videos.
Don't forget: The Savannah Wiener Dog Races are coming soon!
Happy Wiener Weekend!

Race time's coming!

Today we learned it's time for the annual WIENER DOG RACES!
We invite all our buddies to bring it!

Your staffers can help -- they can design artwork to be used on the official T-shirts and logo. Here's the info on that. It's sponsored by the Savannah Morning News and savannahnow.com. We're really excited about all of this!

Preregistration starts after Labor Day, and we're hoping to get to go this year. Usually the staff volunteers (the money goes to Dachshund Rescue of North America and other animal assistance charities) and they can't take us and work, too. We're hoping they'll figure out how to do it all this year.

So, we're asking all of you to let them know if we should go. We need your support!

Early alert! Games for us!

We've been waiting patiently since last October, and now it's coming!
Registration opens Aug. 30 for the annual Savannah Wiener Dawg Races!
This year it will be more fun than ever with more to do....It's a full schedule for the first weekend in October.

We've got the races on River Street, and then later there's entertainment and fun at Grayson Stadium, a masquerade ball for all wiener staffers, a Sunday morning Blessing of the Wieners and more. AND, there will be races for other small-dog breeds, too. So, we're inviting all our chihuahua friends to come visit.

Last year's gathering was wonderful and raised a lot of money for Dachshund Rescue. We hope to help lots of animal charities this year. If you aren't in the Savannah area, it's a great weekend to head this way.

Check out the Savannah Dachshund Club web site for new information and early details.
Click on the topic labels for our fun stories from last year and many, many photos!
And here's a video from last year's craziness.
Yay!!!

We need a nap!

And boy did we earn it!
Today was the monthly gathering for the dachshund club in Forsyth Park, and the weather was wiener-dog perfect!
Lots of friends and their staffers showed up. We saw chocolate dapples, chocolate-and-cream dapples, a pretty longhair, a 12-week-old puppy, and many more. We met a young, happy friend in need of adoption. His name is Ethan, and he's a small black-and-tan like us. If you'd like to adopt him, or someone like him, click here.
We played so much that we ended up sleeping all the way home in the limo.
Here's a link to the pictures of the old and new friends we saw today.

Hawes buddies return!

Hey check out the comments from our last entry! We've heard from our racing buddies on the USS Hawes. How could they have known Staffer Mom was wearing her Hawes hat this weekend?
It seems that Cricket, Pretzel and Skipper are in line for some amazing goodies from Santa this year. They've become regular foster siblings for doxies who don't have homes. So far, they've hosted three new buddies on their ways to new homes. It's sad to think there are so many doxies without homes or staffs to keep them warm and fed.
So kudos all-around to the Hawes Team, their staff and others for taking good care of others.
Skipper, Cricket and Pretzel: Let us know how you're doing again soon! Merry Christmas!

One month! It's coming!

The best day of the year is coming soon. It's the Savannah Wiener Dawg Races -- the one day all year when people must bow to the dachshund world. Yay!

We got a preview of the new web site for it today, and there are pictures of lots of our friends there. You can see pictures from last year, see the rules for the games and order cool shirts and stuff. There's even a picture of dad when he volunteered last year.

If you decide to race your wiener, you can even register online early. That's a big deal, because you won't have to stand in a long line when you could be sniffing new buddies or checking out the cool giveaways. There will be a costume parade, too. We expect each of you to show up ready to race or just looking good.

You've got to come to the races!! It's too much fun!!!
(and for some of you: mom said to say "Yes, there will be beer.")

Woohoo! It's coming!

Every year something wonderful happens. Hundreds of us lowdogs gather for a magnificent time where all the world is focused only on us. (Granted, it should be that way all the time, but we all know it's not.)

We're talking about the annual Savannah Wiener Dawg Races. It's the greatest event in the world, and those silly Olympics things every few years pale in comparison. This year's event will be Oct. 6 on Savannah's River Street. Hundreds of us played together last year, and there will be more this year. Here's a link to a slideshow from the Savannah Morning News coverage in 2006. (When you open the page, click again on the slideshow link.) The pictures will give you some idea of the scene where all dachshunds are winners.

The event benefits Dachshund Rescue and helps other wonderful dog groups, too. If you love dogs like us, you can volunteer to help out at the races. Or if you've got a wiener dog, bring him or her to watch or race. There will be plenty of fun activities for humans and pups. We'll post more details before the races.
We can't wait!!!!