Utah Tech to hold annual 'Weenie Mania' to unite community one dachshund at a time

ST. GEORGE — Next Wednesday, students, community members and dachshunds will gather at Utah Tech University in St. George for an event that is quickly becoming a local favorite: Weenie Mania.

Weenie Mania is an event that invites owners of dachshunds — also known as wiener dogs — to see how well their dog stacks up against others in a non-competitive race. And while these types of races are not new, having first been held in Australia in the 1970s, it wasn't until 2024 that this event was brought to the Utah Tech campus.

"What's great about this event is that it gives us the opportunity to bring community to our campus," said Haylee Lemon, the school's director of entertainment events and student life. "We have been doing events like this to connect our students to the community around St. George."

Weenie Mania is one of the student-body-led events that are held on Wednesdays throughout the year. This is the third year this event has been held, and Sophia Haughn, the vice president of student life, said that it has only grown.

"It started out as a fun idea for a Wednesday event for our students," Haughn said. "Since then, it has just been growing each and every year."

The first year, 10 dogs were signed up, and the following year, it doubled to 20 dogs. This year, there are currently close to 40 dogs signed up for the races that now include an obstacle course.

Wiener dog races have not traditionally been seen as competitive due to the breed often getting distracted along the way. Instead, it has been seen as a fun, community gathering event, and that's why Utah Tech students and surrounding community members have adopted it as one of their favorites.

"We give our students the opportunity to vote on which dog they think will win, and that's something that really draws our students in," Lemon said. "We're also grateful to have the community participate in this. We have lots of students who have wiener dogs, and they bring those. We also get the majority of our wiener dogs through the community because not many students on campus have pets."

St. George resident Ry Iverson and his dachshund Peanut have been to the event the past couple of years. He said he "highly recommends" the event.

"Peanut got first in her heat last year and then choked in the final," he said. "It was so fun! I think the event is clever and is a blast! There are lots of weenie dog themed things that they squeeze in that make it so fun. (There's) hotdog decor and hotdogs for food and really long balloon animal dogs. I have also never seen so many wiener dogs in my whole life. (There are) just so many short, long, happy little friends of all shapes, sizes, colors, and energy levels. Watching them all race is so fun."

For those who do not have dogs to bring, the university is offering "fresh off the grill" hot dogs, "dressed with all the fixings." Free Weenie Mania T-shirts will also be handed out to the first 160 people.

The event starts Wednesday at 7 p.m. and will be held at the lower Encampment Mall, which is the grassy open-air section located in the center of the main campus. Those who would like to enter a dog in the event are asked to contact the Utah Tech Student Association through Instagram.

Related topics