HOLLADAY— A Holladay dachshund named Dasher will dash for Utah at the Wienerschnitzel Wiener Nationals Championship race in late December.
In April, Vicki Nelson and her 11-year-old daughter, Cali, heard on the radio about a wiener dog race at the Delta Center. So, they decided to take their 3-year-old dachshund, Dasher, a k a "Fatty Pants," to socialize with the other dogs in the competition.
They weren't planning to enter him in the race — they just wanted to get Dasher a racing number for his scrapbook, Vicki said.
But Dasher ended up racing against seven other dachshunds that day and won his heat, which was held outside the Delta Center.
By winning, Dasher qualified for the championship race, which was held the next day during halftime of the April 13 Jazz/Spurs game.
Before the race, the other owners and dachshunds were pretty uptight, Vicki said. But Dasher, the fattest dog in the competition, sat calmly on a chair eating french fries.
"They had to duct tape his racing jacket on because he was so fat," she said.
But Dasher's loyalty may have given him the upper paw.
"The funny thing is, I never thought he'd win the first time," said James Nelson, Vicki's husband. "But he's trained, and he comes when he's called."
When the race began, Dasher headed straight to Vicki, who was positioned opposite of where the dogs were released. The pudgy Dasher streaked past the seven sleeker Dachshunds that headed in all directions.
"He was a good boy — he just came," Vicki said.
Cali said she knew her dog was going to win. "We went upstairs to get some food while we were waiting, and all these people were putting bets on him, so I said, 'You've got to win buddy.' "
The Nelsons took Dasher's $250 championship prize money and bought him a Chihuahua friend named Tequila. Vicki said the family wanted Dasher to thin down, so they thought if they acquired another dog, Dasher might lose some weight by dashing around more.
Tequila is about one-fifth the size of Dasher, weighing in at 4.9 pounds. Cali said Dasher has lost about 8 pounds while running at her school or by chasing Tequila.
Vicki Nelson said when they got Dasher as a Christmas gift a few holidays seasons ago, they were told he was supposed to be a minidachshund, weighing only 10 pounds. Now he weighs 26 pounds.
"He's a major, not a mini," Vicki said.
James called Dasher a great dog who is tenacious, with a mind of his own, but he is calm around people.
"Dasher is the ultimate dog because, I mean he looks fat, but he really has a lot of muscle," he added.
With Dasher's April championship, the Nelsons also received two round-trip tickets to San Diego for the national race and two tickets to the Holiday Bowl football game. If Dasher wins the national race, he will appear on a Holiday Bowl parade float.
Vicki and Cali Nelson will fly to San Diego for the big race on Dec. 30. The Nelsons are trying to find sponsors, so Dasher's other family members can go. Potential sponsors can send an e-mail to dashtheflash@pureutah.com.
Cali said she doesn't know how well the dachshund will do in the national racing arena.
"I can never tell," she said. "Dasher is just a little surprise."
E-mail: nclemens@desnews.com