Racing Sammy
I never imagined myself ever owning a chihuahua, and definitely not entering him in the Petco chihuahua races, but what can I say, Sammy is one heck of a dog. Who else could convince Baka to wake up early on a Saturday morning to head inland? :P
I was really proud of him - I was a bit worried he'd freak out with all the other dogs, the people, the noise, etc. But he was super excited to see all the other little dogs, and really seemed to enjoy himself. We ran in the 6th heat, and had a little trouble initially when the dog next to him in the start box started freaking out and distracted him. DH had to shove him out and then he started running towards me... only to veer off to the side after another dog. We thought he came in 3rd at first, but then realized he actually made it to the finish line 2nd - he just stopped right on it! So by a stroke of luck, we made it to the semifinals.
The first semifinal group was super fast - I think he would've had a good run with them. Our group came next, and pretty much the only dog that made a direct path to its owner was the winner. Sammy actually had a fast start and was in the lead, but again veered off to the side after another dog. So once again, 2nd - and unfortunately only the top dog from each semifinal run advanced to the final race of 6. But not bad at all for his first time there - there were lots of dogs who'd raced in the years before, including the national champ from 2006. So all in all, he was in the top 12 of the 250+ chihuahuas entered in LA!
This was the first group to race, unfortunately it was just Baka to hold him at the start and me at the finish, so no free hands for photos/videos of Sammy racing.
Doesn't he look proud? This was the only time I could get him to drink, while on the car waiting for the semis. He and many of the other dogs shunned the public water bowls :P
He was rewarded with a couple french fries from Carl's Jr., and if I have the energy, Pinkberry tonight on our walk. For next year, we need to work on his focus. Speed is definitely not the issue! Looks like it's time to get back to agility classes.
I was really proud of him - I was a bit worried he'd freak out with all the other dogs, the people, the noise, etc. But he was super excited to see all the other little dogs, and really seemed to enjoy himself. We ran in the 6th heat, and had a little trouble initially when the dog next to him in the start box started freaking out and distracted him. DH had to shove him out and then he started running towards me... only to veer off to the side after another dog. We thought he came in 3rd at first, but then realized he actually made it to the finish line 2nd - he just stopped right on it! So by a stroke of luck, we made it to the semifinals.
The first semifinal group was super fast - I think he would've had a good run with them. Our group came next, and pretty much the only dog that made a direct path to its owner was the winner. Sammy actually had a fast start and was in the lead, but again veered off to the side after another dog. So once again, 2nd - and unfortunately only the top dog from each semifinal run advanced to the final race of 6. But not bad at all for his first time there - there were lots of dogs who'd raced in the years before, including the national champ from 2006. So all in all, he was in the top 12 of the 250+ chihuahuas entered in LA!
This was the first group to race, unfortunately it was just Baka to hold him at the start and me at the finish, so no free hands for photos/videos of Sammy racing.
Doesn't he look proud? This was the only time I could get him to drink, while on the car waiting for the semis. He and many of the other dogs shunned the public water bowls :P
He was rewarded with a couple french fries from Carl's Jr., and if I have the energy, Pinkberry tonight on our walk. For next year, we need to work on his focus. Speed is definitely not the issue! Looks like it's time to get back to agility classes.