Rep. Ken Calvert's 'Cali' Wins Award in HSUS Photo Contest

Contest photo via flickr

Congrats to our favorite gal on Capitol Hill, 'Cali' for winning the Humane Society of the United States 'Barker of the House' Award.  HSUS recently held a Congressional Pet Photo Contest, with over 200 entries.  Excerpt from The Press Enterprise:

Rep. Ken Calvert , R-Corona, took to Twitter last week to announce his office's latest triumph. No, it wasn't passage of one of his bills or news of a deal struck with Democrats in the debt ceiling debate.
"Cali my office dog won Humane Society's 'Barker of the House' Award!" he declared to his nearly 900 followers. "We are very proud!"
Cali, a rambunctious Dachshund often seen tearing through Calvert's Washington office, took home the award as part of the Humane Society of the Unites States' Congressional Pet Photo Contest.
The award was one of a handful given out in the "bipawtisan" contest, which drew 233 entries, according to the Humane Society.

Mr. Calvert said of his 'Cali':  Why My Pet Should Win by a Landslide: Cali is widely-known by the Capitol Hill community; whether it is for her prowess at chasing the ball down the hallway or for her fearless jumping into the Rayburn fountain! She comes to work every day and loves greeting constituents, taking meetings with the Congressman or sleeping on a staffer's lap. She is the quintessential Capitol Hill Dog!

There were several other Dachshunds in the running including 'Brody,' seen here, whose human is Greg Schmidt, Education and the Workforce (Committee Staffer).

Why My Pet Should Win by a Landslide: Brody took Washington by storm four short years ago, and is tireless in his campaign to conquer the hearts of all Washingtonians. A friend to all (except maybe squirrels), Brody loves to take long walks and is never far from his favorite squeaky tennis ball. Weighing in at 15 pounds, he may be small, but what he lacks in stature, he makes up for with his extra large personality.

Related:  Stories and Videos: Ken Calvert and Cali

Hot Dog News Roundup!

photo source: unknown viral photo

One of our many alter egos, the hot dog, errr, the Dachshund sausage has been roasted all over the news this week.  So today, a cold and blustery Friday, February 26, 2010, we bring you our first ever Hot Dog News Roundup.  Hungry? 

Kicking things off, The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that hot dogs be redesigned to make them, well, less sausage-shaped. This is because they account for around 17% of the food-related choking deaths of up to 77 children, and the emergency treatment of 15,000, in the United States every year.

"If you were to take the best engineers in the world and try to design the perfect plug for a child's airway, it would be a hot dog," Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at the Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, told USA Today.  Source. 

We're just hoping that no one wants to "redesign" us Dachshunds.  We're perfect just the way we are.  Except for those troubling back issues.

Meanwhile, in Kansas City, Missouri, a Kansas man is suing the Kansas City Royals after their team mascot, Sluggerrr, seen here, threw a hot dog into the crowd last September, which struck the man's left eye, detaching his retina and causing cataracts. Court records said the man has since undergone two surgeries and has suffered permanent vision impairment in his left eye.  Ouch.  Source.

And finally, in the "world's oldest wiener' department, Feltmans Restaurant on New York's Coney Island was set to be demolished, when "archaeologists" said they found an ancient hot dog encased in ice under the building. They also said they "found" an original receipt in the block of ice.  Turns out it was a hoax, but CNN and other news stations believed it, as seen by this priceless video evidence (CNN has removed the video from its site).  Watch it quick before "the man" takes it down.
Note:  140-years-old or not, we would still eat that hot dog.

Elvis

Elvis, by vaduzuvunt.

Dachshunds in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl Parade

In case you missed the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl Parade which was televised on USA Network on New Year's Day, here was the best part featuring 'Sully,' the Fastest Wiener in the West on the Wienerschnitzel float, and the Weenie Waddlers, aka the rest of the fine Dachshunds who competed in the Wienerschnitzel finals on December 30th. 

Related:  Wienerschnitzel Wiener Nationals Champ:  Sully, The Fastest Wiener In The West!

Wienerschnitzel Wiener Nationals Champ: Sully, The Fastest Wiener In The West!

Congratulations to isabella and tan smooth 'Sully,' who has officially earned the title of The Fastest Wiener in the West by winning the 14th Annual Wienerschnitzel Wiener Nationals yesterday at the Port of San Diego Big Bay Balloon Parade.  Way to go Sully!  The Wiener Nationals are the United States national Dachshund racing championships sponsored by the Wienerschnitzel food chain. Regional qualifiers are held in the Southwestern United States (California, Texas, Arizona, Nevada), with the final 8 Dachshunds racing for the national title every December in San Diego as part of the Holiday Bowl.
Excerpt from The Orange County Register:

When you've got a fast dog chasing your butt, it pays to be the fastest wiener in the West.
And so it was today with Sully, a 2½-year-old dachshund from San Clemente, California.
As the premier dogs were nearing the finish line, the wiener behind Sully bit him in the buttocks – "right in the patoot," said owner Miranda Libres.
"He turned around and he kind of tried to bite him back," she said.
But by then, Sully was already the winning wiener.

Congratulations to all the Dachshunds who made it to the championship race.  Read all about Sully's big moment and see lots of pics at The Orange County Register.



Video of the final race by youtuber EricLanzRoberts.

Watch the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl Parade on USA Network on New Year's Day at 9AM Eastern/8AM Central Time.  There are usually highlights from the Wiener Nationals.

Great Related Stories:  Wienerschnitzel Wiener Nationals coverage

Biker Dachshund

Check out THIS guy. A biker dachshund chills at a pet show in Belleview, Florida, last year. A pet costume contest will be part of the Nine Mile Pond festival at Lake Lillian in Belleview on this Saturday. Find out more at Ocala.com.

Dachshunds Who Travel in Style

Meet beautiful Isabella (fawn) and tan smooth 'Zoomer' from Richmond, Virginia. His owners build and ride motorcycle conversions, and since he rides with them, and they wear helmets, he needed one too. They couldn't find any helmets for dogs, so they created one for Zoomer, and decided to release helmets for pets everywhere, and "The Helmet" by Zoomer GearTM was born!

So, if you've already got the doggles and the leather jacket, head on over to Zoomer Gear. Woof!

Related: Wilhelm the Wiener Rider

Related: Dachshunds Striking a Pose in the News