GOING TO THE DOGS IN GERMANY

Chronicle (Levin), 9 March 1946, Page 2

GOING TO THE DOGS IN GERMANY

_ _ . If yon want to see a dog racing track I j vvhere Dachshunds compeie witn Aisa I I tions, you can — but you'll have to go to ! j Gcrmany for it. A British division in j : the Arniv of Oceupation is ruiuiing a I I highl'y popular, if uiiortliodox, dog track j | over there aud C.Q..M.K. JSandv lvnld of the Iviiig's Ovvn Scoltish Borderers | who gives a Iiand with ihe races, lun 1 tohi B.B.C. li.steners about it. About tlie only kind of dog they i haven't got is a greynoiuid, mu I get amazing sporl oul of a field o. alsatians, Labradors, Spit/.-lerriers, set l ters, Vorkshire terriers and, of coursi dachshuiid.s. Races are run over 50 or 100 yards aud dogs are haudiv apped o., breed, tlie s'mall dogs getting a starl by liaving their traps (made from aijimiuii tion boxes) moved forward. The biggest start over given was to a Davli- ; shuud, who received 21 yards in a 50 : yard race. He went Jike steam, but was short-headed in'o second place. j The variety of baits makes up for ihe ; lack of an electrie hare. Owncr.i staud ! at tlie end of tlie track, vvaving hund j korchiefs and towels, or daugliiig a j bone or pieee of c hocoiate 011 iiie end oi ' a string. Oue gets the best results j from bounciug a ha II uear the winning I tape, and anollier blows a wlnstle ! Tlie.re are. 110 bookies to ndd to Mi j pandenionium; betting is done by tote ; the prolits going to buy sports kit aiiu j so forth. I The fastesl record for Ihe track iS 110 ; kuown, but Ihe siovvest, put uj> bv a | kind of loiig-eoatod terrier, was ' 1 1 j secouds over 50 yards". i'lie dogs are as keen as Ihe owners. cspecially Spol, a jiftle terrier. who w 1- . missing when his owiicr was setting oul for one of the meetings. He. couldn t be found anvwhere, so his owner snt i off for the track, three nnles away, tu tell the stevvards to scrateh him. Wimn he arrived, there was Kpot, sitting 1:1 the paddock waiting for the races to begin.