Record-high 34 wiener dogs face off in annual Harvey’s Garden Oktoberfest race
Dog owners and onlookers cheered on the wiener dogs as they completed for glory in this year’s dachshund race at Harvey’s Garden. Madison Cox | Contributing Photographer
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For each round of dachshund races, Harvey’s Garden owner Michael Greene would count down from 10 before the wiener dogs were off. Each owner found ways to encourage their dog to the finish line – some holding treats, others holding toys or calling their dogs’ names.
“The wiener dog race is always the biggest event of the day,” Greene said. “It’s something different than what we normally do, so just the chance to bring people that aren’t used to coming here is a cool experience for us.”
Harvey’s Garden in Syracuse held its third annual dachshund race, part of their Oktoberfest celebration, on Saturday afternoon. The German festival included polka music, food and games. This year’s dachshund race was the biggest turnout they’ve ever had, with 34 pups.
Dachshund races are popular at various Oktoberfests around the world, Greene said. He wanted to use the event to bring the community together.
The wiener dogs were split into three heats, and the top two winners of each group advanced to the championship round.
As Greene’s countdown ended, the dachshunds bolted to the other side, running past Greene as he stood at the finish line. Family and friends on the sidelines cheered as the dogs began to run. Some dogs turned around and went back to the starting line, and others laid down in the middle of the track.
Richard Vose and Kavita Suryadevara pose with their one-year-old dachshund Dexter. Dexter was crowned the winner of this year’s dachshund race. Madison Cox | Contributing Photographer
One-year-old Dexter came out on top. His owners, Richard Vose and Kavita Suryadevara, a Syracuse University alumna, had owned dachshunds previously, but had never participated in anything like this before.
“He’s very hyper; he loves to run around at the dog park,” Suryadevara said. “This was amazing, and I can’t wait to do it next year.”
Trish Coonrod entered her three-year-old dachshund, Josie, into the race. She didn’t have big expectations — Josie was shy but surprisingly fast, Coonrod said.
“I was excited just to see the other dachshunds and to see what would happen,” she said.
Kate Foraker and Alejandro Vasquez-Lopez have been to the event twice before. One of their dogs, Rupert, placed third in 2023 and made it to the final round this year. The day was “a little chaotic as usual,” but it’s always fun and a great way to be involved in the community, he said.
Danielle Miller felt similarly. She knew of Oktoberfest dachshund races and decided to enter with her dog, Scooter. Miller believed her dog would do well, given his speed and affinity for chasing a ball. She appreciates the opportunity to bond with local dogs and other dog owners.
“To come down and go to a place that you’ve never been before is kinda cool, but at the same time be able to socialize with other people with dachshunds, I mean, who could beat that?” Miller said.
Pet owners entered their wiener dogs into the dachshund race on Saturday. Some owners knew their dogs would compete well, while others were just there to have fun and pet furry friends. Madison Cox | Contributing Photographer
Kate Mumford made a spur-of-the-moment decision to come and watch the dogs race and enjoy dinner and drinks. It was something to do with her husband, two daughters and Sammy, a 5-year-old dachshund, who participated in the race. They enjoyed the fall day at the Oktoberfest celebration, she said.
For Cambria Trimaldi, part of the reason she got her dog Cannoli was to enter him in dachshund races like this one. They don’t have races like these for goldendoodles or labrador retrievers, she said. She plans to do more races with the three-month-old puppy.
The competition got fierce. Some participants, like Vasquez-Lopez and Foraker, promised to come back after returning for a redemption tour this year.
“I love wiener dogs, so I always figured, you know, anything wiener is always great,” Vasquez-Lopez said. “Rupert’s gonna be back next year and he’s gonna get the ‘chip!”
