And there they go

The sun came out last Sunday. Gorby and Tasha, my Toy Poodles, were happy. I promised them I would take them to the second annual "Great Dog Dash" of the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) at Eastwood City. "Yip, yap, yip, yap," Gorby and Tasha chorused as they hopped into the car for the trip.

The Dog Dash is a race in which small doggies (no taller than 15 inches from bottom of paw to top of head) run a 10-meter race along a racetrack built just for them. The small doggies are coaxed by their humans with treats and toys in the hopes that such incentives will encourage them to finish the race. The first dog to reach the finish line in each round challenges the winner of the other rounds until a grand champion is chosen.

The dogs were grouped in one of three categories: "Tinkerbells" were mostly miniature Chihuahuas – the smallest of the group. Short-legged dogs like Dachshunds, Basset Hounds and Corgis were grouped in the "Elf" category. And the bigger dogs of the group raced under the "Hobbit" category.

It was fun to watch the doggies as they lined up with their humans at the start of the race. But, it was even more hilarious to find out which of the little doggies really did make it to the finish line. Shouting, rattling toys, jumping up and down – the humans tried every trick at the finish line, but some of the doggies could not be convinced to run the whole 10 meters. We noticed that quite a few entrants preferred to return to the starting line, or worse, stay there.

This year a total of 52 dogs joined the race – including Mongrels, Boston Terriers, Mini Pinschers, Dachshunds, Toy Poodles, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Bichon Frise, Chihuahuas, Pomeranians, Yorkshire Terriers, Maltese, Shih Tzus and a Basset Hound.

The biggest participant was a Basset Hound named Bruno owned by Camille Sevilla, who is very wide and heavy. He is so wide that a PAWS volunteer had to escort him onstage just to see if he would fit in the race "box" before he was allowed to register for the race.

PAWS works actively towards the prevention of cruelty to animals. It operates a shelter for dogs and cats rescued from cruelty, neglect or abandonment and finds them new homes through an active pet-adoption program run completely by volunteers. The funds raised from the P200 entrance fee will go to the animal shelter.

The Great Dog Dash 2 was sponsored by Pedigree, Cesar’s, Globe Broadband, Eastwood City, Philippine STAR "Pet Life" section and Frontline.