‘They capture your heart and get into your soul’: Dachshunds race and strut at 4th annual Dachtoberfest at Richmond Raceway

Oct 4, 2025 - 16:25

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‘They capture your heart and get into your soul’: Dachshunds race and strut at 4th annual Dachtoberfest at Richmond Raceway

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Dachshunds raced and strutted in costume contests at the fourth annual Dachtoberfest, which returned to Richmond on Saturday.

"We will talk to everybody [who] will listen," said Andrew Clarke, secretary of the Dachshund Enlightenment Foundation. "We talk to doctors, breeders [and] adoption agencies. You name it, we talk to them."

From 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4, the Dachtoberfest returned to Richmond Raceway, in the Old Dominion Building, located at 600 E Laburnum Ave., for more dachshund-themed events.

With over 700 dogs, the event supports the Dachshund Enlightenment Foundation, a nonprofit focusing on dachshund education, health and care.

Tanya Ryan, president of the foundation, said this year, the foundation added a dog food nutritionist to conduct the information presentation, as well as adding food vendors.

"I tell people that the most fun is watching the puppies race because you never know if they're actually going to finish the race or stop and play, and I've carried more than one puppy across the finish line -- in slow motion, of course," Clarke said.

Dachtoberfest returns to Richmond Raceway for the fourth year on Oct. 4. (Photo: William Berksteiner, 8News)

The family-friendly event featured wiener dog racing, costume contests, raffles, vendors, beer and food trucks, along with guest speakers and agility demonstrations. Four divisions of wiener dog races also included senior schnitzels aged 9 years old and older, special sausages consisting of special needs dachshunds, little links aged 2 years old and younger and bratwursts between 2 and 8 years old.

Wes Self, who returned to the Dachtoberfest for a second year, told 8News that his 2-year-old dog, Daisy, won first place in her heat after his daughter urged him to attend. He said this event offers "good memories with [his] daughter and the little dog here."

"I think it's a great event. A lot of this stuff goes to charity to help homeless dogs and just brings awareness to that," Self said. "So, if you can come out and support and help some local animals in the animal shelters, it would be great. It's a good time."

The event began at the Delta Hotel -- the "first place to give us a chance to do anything with it, in the first year, when we couldn't find any other venue," Clarke said.

"We love it because these funny little dogs are just amazing," Clarke said. "They capture your heart and get into your soul."