Wiener dogs bolt from the starting gate during the annual Wiener Dog Races at the Bend Oktoberfest downtown on Saturday. (Ryan Brennecke/Bulletin photos)

Louie, a 5-year-old dachshund, was hard to miss among all the dogs competing Saturday at the 13th annual Wiener Dog Races at Bend Oktoberfest.

He wore a neon-green mohawk helmet as he ran past seven other dogs to win his first race in style.

His owner, Bend resident Andrew Baca, a nurse at the St. Charles Medical Center in Redmond, had a successful strategy to get Louie across the finish line. He released the family pet at the starting line, and his 6-year-old daughter, Violet, enticed the dog down the track with a squeaky toy.

Baca was so impressed he gave his dog the nickname, “Lousain Bolt,” a nod to Olympic Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt.

Saturday was Baca’s third time at the Wiener Dog Races, but first time racing Louie. More than 40 dogs raced in six heats, and the winners of each heat competed in a final race.

The event attracted hundreds lining the track down Oregon Avenue.

“It’s just hilarious to watch them run,” Baca said. “They are terrible at it.”

Louie came up short, losing in the final round. A 2-year-old dachshund from Seattle named Booker Lee McDowell took home the first-place title. With the win, Booker is invited to a Pacific Northwest championship race in Portland next weekend.

Owners used treats, toys and their voices to get their dachshunds down the track. While the races were competitive, they were also a way for owners to spend time with their dogs and meet other wiener dog owners. In addition, the event was a fundraiser for the Human Society of Central Oregon.

Jimmy and Tess Gentry, of Bend, signed up their 10-month old dachshund, Bogart, to race for the first time Saturday. Tess Gentry sat at the finish line and used dog treats from Whole Foods, where she works, to try to get Bogart’s attention. It did not work as well as she hoped, and Bogart lost the race. But the couple was still proud of their puppy.

“I take him everywhere,” Tess Gentry said. “He’s my little buddy.”

Rob and Rachel Whittenburg, of Redmond, came to the race Saturday with their 3-year-old dachshund, Louie, who had some experience having competed the past two years.

“We are hoping three times is the charm,” said Rachel Whittenburg, a nurse at BestCare Treatment Services in Redmond.

The first year Louie raced, he almost reached the finish line but then turned back. The second year he never left the gate.

In his third race Saturday, Louie was not the fastest dog, but he ran straight ahead into Rachel Whittenburg’s arms.

“We are making progress every year,” she said.

— Reporter: 541-617-7820, 
kspurr@bendbulletin.com