Wiener dogs run their little legs off for a good cause in Manayunk

Milo had no formal training, just a heart full of passion and some experience running around the house chasing his favorite squeaky ball. But his owner, Donna Molloy, 28, drove an hour from Bucks County so they could experience his first race.

Milo was one of the dozens of wiener dogs dressed in hot dog costumes (with “mustard” included) who gathered at Venice Island Thursday for the return of Lucky’s Great Wiener Race, seeking the title of fastest dachshund dog in Manayunk, and raising funds for the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (known as PAWS) in the process.

“It’s worth it,” Molloy said. “I am glad to see all the little wiener dogs, dachshunds are adorable, a pack of them is always great together.”

Milo took a calm approach to his pre-race call Thursday evening. At home, the baby of the litter keeps his German shepherd and beagle brothers in line, Molloy said, but at the track the mini dachshund sized up the competition.

Local restaurant Lucky’s Last Chance has been organizing the race since 2014, taking a hiatus last year to look for a new location. The basketball court by Venice Island Performing Arts and Recreation Center wound up being the best place for the 40-foot synthetic grass track the dogs run on, said Anthony Imperiale, Lucky’s Last Chance general manager.

Sixty-five dogs signed up this year, the highest number to participate.

“The wiener race is a big part of Manayunk culture,” said longtime attendee Rebecca Didio, 40.

She remembers when the race was held in an alley by the restaurant, and how in the first running, her Italian greyhound Gus got to compete because they didn’t have enough dachshunds available.

Gus was back Thursday to observe the kick-off of this year’s race. After a lap around the track, competitors began lining up while their trainers stood at the starting line. The dogs’ “catchers” waited for them at the finish calling their names, as 400 spectators watched the dogs compete through 11 rounds toward the final race.

“They are fast as lightning,” said referee Kaitlin Lento, who works as a bartender at Lucky’s Last Chance when not on wiener dog race duty.

The hot-dog-costumed doggies sprinted down the track, some getting distracted by noises, losing their costumes, or deciding to return to the start mid-run, while others ran to meet their humans at the finish line.

Swiftly moving his tiny legs, Milo earned a spot in the final round. The competition included 4-year-old mixed breed pup Barley, who was returning from a 2023 defeat. Barley won the first trophy of the night, without even wrinkling his orange knitted sweater in the process.

“He has been training every day, non stop, running in circles around the backyard playing the ‘Rocky’ theme since he lost two years ago,” his human John Shirreffs said with a chuckle. “This was his redemption race and he killed it.”

Barley’s first act as a victor was to lick the faces of every Shirreffs family member who came to support him, before going home to enjoy a peanut butter pup cup.

As the victorious pups readied for the final round of the dachshund race, spectators began crowding closer to the track, cheering and even making up their own songs.

To the tune of Chappell Roan’s “Hot to Go,” first-time attendees Pierre Peters and Evie Klein began chanting from the bleachers: “H-O-T-D-O-G-S, I love hot dogs, they are the best,” noting they were impressed by the pups’ velocity.

“They are pretty fast,” Peters said. “They are a lot faster than their little legs would suggest.”

Despite giving it his all, Milo finished fourth, with mini dachshund Archie taking home the trophy.

“This is unbelievable, this man is a king,” said Archie’s human Brett Yamane, lifting him in the air. “We love dachshunds and this is for a good cause, some dogs don’t get to be taken care of like this guy.”

Archie’s reaction: A yawn. The winner was ready to go home to his promised banana and a trip to PetSmart.

A portion of food truck and drink sales from local breweries at the race went to PAWS, and the organization was accepting donations at the event. The amount raised this year wasn’t immediately available, but Imperiale said $14,000 was raised in 2019.

The money will help “keep Philadelphia a no-kill city, where people can afford to keep their pets at home instead of having to surrender them” said PAWS volunteer Kathy Plover. “It’s extremely generous of all these people and we will put the money to good use.”