IF YOU GO
The Dachshund Club of America's National Specialty Show continues today. It starts at 8:30 a.m. and will continue until 5 p.m. Admission is free, and all events are held at Track 29 and in the Choo Choo's Imperial Ballroom.
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The 1,400 dachshunds that trotted into Chattanooga this week are not affected like their owners by the pride of winning the blue ribbon and the tears that accompany defeat.
The Dachshund Club of America's National Specialty Show, the year's largest and most important dog show for the breed, is in Chattanooga for the first time, and a chorus of barking could be heard from the parking lot of the Chattanooga Choo Choo on Friday.
In a variety of events, the weiner dogs obey commands, jump miniature fences, and prance in front of judges as their bone and muscle structures are meticulously analyzed.
Five of the pristine dogs in the show traveled from Brooklyn with Maryanne Santomauro and her friend Trudy Kawami.
On Friday morning, Santomauro and her wire-haired dachshund named Jada took first place in the Utility A Obedience Trial. To win, Jada had to master a series of non-verbal commands and complete a series of tasks, including finding her specific leather toy in a pile of other dogs' trinkets.
"Utility and obedience is my first love," Santomauro said. "... It takes a lot of work and a lot of training, you can't 'just do it' like Nike says."
Show Chairman Robert Schwalbe said the event rotates its location each year, and that the local Cumberland Valley Dachshund Club, where he is on the board, was honored to be able to host the competition in Chattanooga.
"We call it the Olympics of dachshunds," Schwalbe said. "We've been planning this event for two years ... and I can't believe how well it's gone."
Erected outside Track 29 was a large grooming tent, where dogs were primped on tables. Blow dryers, hair straighteners, volumizing conditioner and coarse brushes were just a few of the tools being used to groom the pooches for competition.
According to Amy Creel, who traveled to the competition from Jackson, Miss., most of the grooming happens before arriving at the show.
"These are just the last-minute touch-ups," Creel said, as she finished perfecting the top coat of her wire-haired dachshund, formally named Lockshire Girl Raised in the South but called Grits for short.
The three rings set up inside Track 29 are used by judges to evaluate the conformation events -- think Westminster dog show -- for the smooth, long-haired and wire-haired coat types. To be elected a judge is a high honor within this world, as members of the club vote on who should bare the responsibility.
Judges remained professional throughout the events, not even cracking a smile at a small dog's yelp or nervous scratch of the ear.
Even after a tough loss, most handlers hold their heads high knowing that they work with one of the most stubborn of all dog breeds.
Kawami has owned dachshunds for 25 years, and takes a weekly class to learn to be a better dog handler.
"You can't just read a book and learn this stuff," she said. "Usually if the dog messes up it's the owner's fault."
Kawami said she loved the event being in Chattanooga because she enjoyed the variety of restaurants and bars downtown, and it is always a good time to see fellow dachshund lovers.
"We are all in this together and we'll all step on each other's toes," she said laughing. "And at things like this there is always at least one psychopath with a dog on a leash."
Contact staff writer Kendi Anderson at kendi.anderson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6592.