Weiner Dog Nationals, the 2013 movie, was inspired by a dog race held each year by the fast food company, Wienerschnitzel. The plot summary of the film is simple:  A family adopts a runt of a Dachshund from a shelter. “Only time will tell if little “Shelly” and her new family are up for the challenges of entering the nation’s greatest wiener dog race, Wienerschnitzel’s “Wiener Dog Nationals.” One Nation, one race, one wiener.”

Watch the trailer below, and see if you can guess which scene was the most difficult to shoot:

Evidently, trainers had the toughest time with the scene in which the family’s daughter dresses the dog up for a tea party.  It took half a day to film because the Dachshund kept shaking off its costume.

All this said, here’s something of which to be aware: To the average person, “Weiner races” are amusing, but to Dachshund fanciers, not so much. Critics point out that Dachshunds are not bred for racing, and that the activity can strain the spines of the dogs.  The Dachshund Club of America officially opposes Dachshund races.  The races continue on, however, and the 23rd Annual Wienerschnitzel Wiener Nationals will be run again this July.

Image: By Imsupercilious – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37441780