Madyson Puchajda is a very proud mother.
“I knew he would do great, but I'm like, 'wow, I'm in awe,'” she said, “very proud, so proud of him.”
But she is not talking about her child. She is talking about Finn the dapple dachshund that's wriggling around in her arms.
Finn had just won the city of Oakland Park’s Dachshund Dash, a yearly race held during the city’s Oktoberfest celebration last Saturday.
It was the 18th running of the event that's put on by Central Bark, a local dog daycare and boarding center owned by Chris Gaba.
“We're celebrating Oktoberfest. This is a German breed of dog. It brings families together,” said Gaba. “ It's a lot of fun for my team, and it's a lot of fun for the community.“
READ MORE: Florida Panthers cancel public championship ring ceremony, citing concerns over Milton
This year, in front of around 200 people, six heats of eight dogs ran the 30-yard course towards their owners, who were stationed at the finish lines with chew toys and treats to spur their competitors onward. A judge for each would raise their flag when the dog crossed the finish line to determine a winner.
The city’s vice mayor, Tim Lonergan, was one of the judges.
“I look forward to this every year and you could tell our residents and visitors from other cities come here just to partake,” he said.
The winners of each heat faced off in the final where Finn upset last year’s champion Oscar. Both dogs went home winners though, first and second place won their owners a large gift basket full of prizes from Oakland Park’s local small businesses.
But the racers are not necessarily all professionals.
“I was in row two today and the little guy, I think it was the second race, came dashing down and stopped right before the finish line,” said Lonergan, “I'm like, ‘Oh no!’”
The race increases in popularity every year, and Lonergan thinks that there is room to grow.
“We can expand it somehow and include other breeds,” he said, “Maybe someday, we’ll do the German Shepherd race.”
As for the newly crowned champ, Puchajda say’s Finn will be back to defend his title.
“This is a tradition. I will be back next year and the rest of his 15 years,” she said.
