BELLA VISTA — This weekend will go to the dogs when Joel Silverman, the host of Animal Planet's "Good Dog U," comes to town to help area dog owners.
"(Silverman) is out publicizing his book, 'What Color Is Your Dog?' and he helps to establish a color for a dog's personality that will teach people how to train their dogs," said Linda Kosecki, co-owner of Camp Bow Wow in Bentonville.
Together with his dog, Foster, Silverman will give demonstrations about dog training, as well as sell and sign his new book at the Camp Bow Wow booth at First Friday on the Bentonville Square at 5 p.m. and again at the Wiener Dog Races in Bella Vista on Saturday, Kosecki said.
Fun for the area's wiener dogs will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday when the dogs check in for the races and get an opportunity to mingle with their competitors before the parade of race entries is led by the King and Queen of Wieners, the two dachshunds who raised the most money for the Bella Vista Animal Shelter. The races will kick off at 11 a.m., said Dee Dee Knight, one of the wiener-dog race's organizers.
As of Tuesday, 77 wiener dogs - dachshunds - were already registered for Saturday's races with more expected to arrive Saturday. More than 400 people watched as 84 dogs raced each other last year, Knight said.
"People get into it. If you have never been out there and seen it, you have got to get out to see it. It is so cute," Knight said. "The dogs are so funny. They go in every direction. The little puppies are the funniest because they really run in every direction."
This year's race, named "Oscar Meyer Wiener Takes All," after the race's main sponsor, will feature starting gates similar to the ones used in horse races, Knight said.
A hot-dog lunch (or barbecued chicken wings, if preferred) will be provided for $3. All proceeds from the lunch sales will benefit the Bella Vista Animal Shelter.
"This is one of our major fundraisers for the animal shelter that helps us with the over 900 animals we take in each year," Knight said.
All dogs, not just dachshunds, are invited to join in the day's celebration. All non-wieners can participate in the "Wanna Be a Wiener Race," Knight said.
The wiener-dog race festivities will begin at 10 a.m. and are free and open to the public. The races will be held off Glasgow Road in Bella Vista at the softball fields near the Loch Lomond Dam.