Seven Dogs Advance to Semifinals of Wiener Nationals

Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego – Qualifying for the 2006 Wienerschnitzel Wiener Nationals were held this morning on the rugby fields at Qualcomm Stadium.  A field of 242 dachshunds participated in the event, each vying for one of seven spots in the semi-final.  The semi-final is September 21 at Petco Park during the San Diego Padres versus Arizona Diamondbacks baseball game.  This Pacific Life Holiday Bowl event was held for the fun of it, and benefited Dachshund Rescue of San Diego.

The fastest qualifier today was Pringle Chip Rice from Vista.  The one-year-old 14-inch, 11-pound dachshund set a track record by completing the 51-foot course in 2.78 seconds.  Other qualifiers include: Viper Lauder of San Diego; Kelly Glover of La Mesa; Savannah Sturgill of San Diego; Baby Love La Grua of Huntington Beach; Truffles Reed of Fallbrook; and Blitzen Rice of Vista.  Blitzen is the brother of Pringle Chip.  The slowest qualifier completed the seven-dog field with a time of 3.24 seconds.

The fastest dog from the Petco Park semi-final will advance to the national championship race in San Diego December 28 during the nationally televised Port of San Diego Big Bay Balloon Parade presented by San Diego County Credit Union, also a Pacific Life Holiday Bowl event.  The other finalists will represent Albuquerque, El Paso, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Reno and Sacramento.