Wienie dogs have their day: Wichita Falls celebrates first annual Wienerfest

Dachshund lovers from all around gathered to celebrate National Dachshund Day with the first annual Wichita Falls Wienerfest at the dog park on Friday.

"I noticed that we didn't have a lot of activities with dogs. I'm a dog lover as you can tell," Emmy Freeman, owner of Wienerfest, said. "We just wanted to see if we could get all the wiener dog families together and make a huge event out of it."

Freeman has seen it done in other cities and states to good effect.

"So I wanted to see if we could do one here," Freeman said.

The first annual Wienerfest drew a large crowd as dachshund owners were able to meet and converse with fellow dachshund owners and their dogs.

Every dog had to have proof of a rabies shot before entering the fenced area of the park.

The event started out with wiener races inside the fenced area. Then the owners were able to lift their dogs into the air "like Simba" from the Lion King movie. Several dachshunds were dressed up in dog costumes or outfits.

"We're hoping to do this again next year. We'll be a little bit more organized," Freeman said. "This year was our first year, so, of course, we were a little nervous. And it kind of turned out great."

Dog owners could also win prizes and/or support local food trucks and pet businesses that were there.

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This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: In honor of National Dachshund Day, Wichita Falls hosts Wienerfest.