Huntsville, AL - The Huntsville Havoc will host a wiener dog race on the ice this Saturday as they try to raise money for the Ryan Newman Foundation. However, Dachshund owners say that’s a bad idea.
Karen Borden is the president of Dixie Dachshund Rescue. She says, “I think it's a great fundraising event, weiner races. But, I was really upset with the environment that it was going to be held in.”
Borden says running the dogs on ice is dangerous because the breed is already prone to back problems. She says, “Because of the overbreeding that has gone on, many are born with the propensity to have blown discs or bad disks ort suspect disks.”
Valley residents are so upset, they have created a page on Facebook encouraging folks to boycott this weekend’s game. They say it endangers and exploits the breed. However, not everyone agrees with the boycott. Melissa Horne is a Veterinarian at the Animal Care Clinic in Huntsville. She says, “As long as they're not having any problems and don't have a history of problems, there shouldn't be any reason they can't participate.”
On Tuesday, Ashley Balch, the HAVOC's Vice President issued a statement addressing the safety concerns. HE SAYS "The race will take place at the first intermission, after the ice has been cut-up by the player's skates for a full period and is no longer very slick to the people or the dogs."
If the surface is not slick, Dr. Horne says running should not be a risk. “If it's agility or something like that where they're going up ramps and things like that then that may not be the best exercise for them,” she says.
