COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — Ready, set … wiener!
Two Colorado Springs dachshund sisters are getting ready to put their short legs and questionable attention spans to the test this weekend at the Colorado Springs Oktoberfest Dachshund Dash. Lucy Marie and Dolly Waffles are 1½-year-old sisters from the same litter, and their owner, Charla Hawkins, says the two couldn't be more different.
You can check out the Instagram page for the dogs, which includes merch, by following @doxiecontin here! Get their merch by clicking here.
“Dolly is a little bit more laid back and not as active as her sister Lucy, who wants to investigate everything, bark at everyone and is full of energy and just wants belly rubs constantly,” Hawkins explained.
That energy could come in handy Saturday, when the sisters return to the racecourse for their third Dachshund Dash.
The 14th annual race is set for 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, and Sunday, Sept. 27, at the Colorado Springs Oktoberfest at the Western Museum of Mining & Industry. The festival calls it a race featuring “short legs, big personalities, questionable attention spans” and plenty of unpredictability.
For Lucy and Dolly, Saturday's race is a chance at redemption. The sisters competed at last year's Colorado Springs Oktoberfest when they were just 6 months old.
“It was an epic fail, which we kind of expected,” Hawkins said with a smile.
This time around, Hawkins is hoping a little more age... and a little more focus... will help.
“We're hoping this year that they have a little bit more energy and a little bit more ability to pay attention,” she stated.
The secret to winning? Treats and hugs.
Hawkins isn't giving away too much of her race strategy, but she does have a few tips for first-time Dachshund Dash competitors.
“Bring a toy, although the crowd is super loud, so they're probably not going to hear their toys,” she said. “Bring treats and lots of hugs.”
And even with two dogs from the same litter, Hawkins says their race strategies could look very different.
“Dolly prefers a sit-in. She dislikes to sit,” Hawkins laughed. “Lucy, she'll get about halfway maybe and turn around.”
The Dachshund Dash features preliminary heats, with heat winners advancing to a final in their category. The 2026 race includes divisions for smaller dachshunds, dachshund mixes and purebred dachshunds separated by age. Each category crowns a daily champion.
Registration is $15 per team, and each team includes one dachshund, one person to release the racer at the starting line and another human to catch, encourage or, perhaps most importantly, bribe the racer at the finish line.
Why dachshunds and Oktoberfest?
For Hawkins, bringing her dogs to Oktoberfest is part of the fun.
“It is so fun. It's great. I bring the dogs,” she said. “Dachshunds are synonymous with Oktoberfest in Germany, so there's just a lot of people, a lot of positive energy, and just the celebration of October.”
Lucy and Dolly are also part of a much longer dachshund tradition for Hawkins.
“Lucy and Dolly fall number 4 and 5 into my life of dachshunds over the past 20 some years,” she said.
And she has a simple explanation for why she keeps adding to the family.
“Well, you can't have just one,” Hawkins said.
The Colorado Springs Oktoberfest runs Sept. 25-27 and features German food, music, competitions and other activities. Organizers say the event draws nearly 8,000 people for the weekend.
As for Lucy and Dolly, Hawkins says the dogs have become a bright spot in her life, especially on difficult days.
“Some days when you're just having a bad day, you just come home and see their positive face and their excitement to see you, and it kind of makes everything better,” she said.
Now, the sisters are hoping that positive energy carries them across the finish line, even if they get a little distracted along the way!
After all, at the Dachshund Dash, the fastest dog doesn't always get the biggest reaction. Sometimes, it's the one who decides to stop halfway down the track.
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