Cuteness overload

By Sunny Liu

65 dachshunds gave their tiny legs a workout on the teensy 15-metre racetrack on September 24 at Southgate as part of the HOPHAUS Annual Dachshund Race 2016.

After the tiresome races, the contestants were dressed up in their most flashy costumes, including wonder-wiener, Pokemon – hunter and long-faced joker – to compete for the “Best Dressed Dachshund”.

Dachshunds from as far as Sydney and South Australia travelled to Melbourne to show off their speed and cuteness in front of the crowd.

The sausage dog races and the costume competition are a highlight of the Oktoberfest, a festival originated from Munich, Germany which is celebrated around the world.

Apart from the races of this German dog breed, the month-long Oktoberfest in Melbourne brings festivities like the schnitzel-eating competition, live German music and bier tasting.

The registration fees and money made from a raffle during the races will go towards Dachshund Rescue Victoria.

Event organiser Scott Highfield said Melbourne’s interest in the dachshund races and costume competition brought more community element to the celebrations.

“Last year we went viral online. I think it raises awareness for Dachshund Rescue Victoria and help re-home and save this very special breed,” he said. “The festival is really about engaging the community and having fun, more than anything else.”

Instagram-famous dachshund Sassy came to join the race from Geelong in her wonder-wiener costume.

“She’s really excited about the competition. She enjoys all the attention she gets. She has been running down the hall to train for the race,” Sassy’s owner Maz Violi said.

Nine-year-old Rocket wore a traditional German dress with hair braids, which were hand-made by her owner Karryn Puckey.

“Dachshunds are such a wonderful breed, even though they may be stubborn and love their food too much. But they have something that you always come back to,” Ms Puckey said.

The Oktoberfest runs across Melbourne until the end of October.