MOUNT VERNON — It would be too cliché to say that the Knox County Fair went to the dogs this week, but the tails were wagging.
They came on leashes; they came in carriages and some were carried, but the field filled up for the third annual Weiner Dog Race, which took place at the Knox County Fair.
The outcome was the same as it has been for the previous two years with Stella taking home the hardware. Stella’s “mom,” Talya Shaffner, said that no special training goes into posting winning races.
“We just look at the schedule and travel to fairs all over the state of Ohio. Our home fair is Franklin County,” Shaffner said.
While having a champion Dachshund can be serious business, Stella began her career in Florida.
“I started Stella as a joke,” Shaffner said. “We used to live in Florida and they had a race called the Dogtona 500. That was in 2019. After that race, we realized that we had a dog that was pretty fast.”
As with most things in life, time can take its toll on dogs as well.
“She is not as fast as she was when she was 2 (years old), but she is still pretty fast.”
Within some dog races, a mechanical rabbit is run along the track ahead of the canines. For the Weiner dogs, the only incentive is love.
“As long as someone holds her and I am at the finish line, she does fine. I am her favorite person,” Talya said with pride in her voice.
Sibling rivalry may be a positive thing, Sterling, Stella’s sibling, has now finished second for the second year in a row as well.
Large white starting gates are moved onto the track and the competitors are placed into their own corral. After a brief count down, the gates are raised, and the race is on.
Some, like Stella, take a direct route to the finish line, some take the scenic route. This year, one puppy decided that laying down and watching the race was the best course of action, while another got to within a couple of feet of the finish line, made a U-turn, and headed back to the start.
While Stella and Sterling traveled from Franklin County for the competition, some had a much shorter trip.
“I just live across the street from the fairgrounds,” explained Courtney Gonzales as she cradled Wally, her four-legged athlete. Courtney saw the racing as one reason for her dog to just have some fun, “It lets Wally get out and play a little bit.”
The other reason? “And to embarrass ourselves, last year he didn’t even make it down the track.”
Photos by Dan Werner
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