Dog owners came from as far away as southern California this weekend for the annual whippet races.
In all, about 50 raced on Saturday, with 41 following on Sunday.
On Saturday, the dogs raced on a straight track at Brennan Park under the auspices of the North American Whippet Racing Association, while the following day the animals raced around the oval in a National Oval Track Racing Association event.
Throughout the afternoon, some of the dogs were quiet while others yelped or barked in anticipation, especially if other dogs were on the track.
When the time came, the animals, usually in groups of four or five, raced in a straight line while chasing a lure at a pace that would leave Usain Bolt in the dust.
鈥淭he top dogs will do this 200 [yards] in 10 seconds,鈥� local whippet enthusiast Penny Wilmot said.
Wilmot has been with the B.C. Whippet Racing Association for 40 years and served on the executive. 聽
鈥淚鈥檝e been around so long,鈥� she joked.
The oval track is longer than the straight one, so the times are longer, but not by much, assuming there is no glitch 鈥� like when the lure came off halfway around the track during one of the final races of the day Sunday and had to be rerun.
Before starting, the dogs are matched up based on their record coming into the event.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e all graded according to past performance,鈥� said organizer Gale Lyttle.
If the dogs win, they continue to move up to face more difficult competition as the day goes on.
Last year, 麻豆社国产hosted a national series event that attracted about 70 animals. This year鈥檚 installment was a regional club meet, Wilmot said, so the turnout was quite strong. Ordinarily, a national event would get more, but 麻豆社国产ended up having to host after the race, originally planned for California, had to be moved because of wildfire threats in the state.
Still, Lyttle thinks whippet owners are more than happy to come to Squamish, especially because the field is in great shape for racing.
鈥淭his is one of the premier places to race,鈥� she said.
Wilmot agrees, adding that many say the field is the best place for the dogs.
鈥淭he field is just fantastic,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he whole ground gives. That鈥檚 what makes it so good for racing.鈥�
This year, the event attracted mostly dogs and owners from the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, Washington and Oregon, though some dog owners did bring up animals from San Diego, Calif.
Some of the dogs run both events, though they have to meet a height requirement to run on the straight track. In some cases though, an animal might simply perform better at one or the other, Lyttle says.
Typically, whippets start racing at around 18 months. Veteran dogs usually race until around age six on the straight track or five on the oval.
While the animals and their owners compete for points, trophies and bragging rights, one thing Lyttle wants to clear up about the sport is that there is no wagering on the races. Often, people come up when they see the dog on the street and assume, based on stories of greyhounds and professional dog racing, that the whippets are rescue animals.
鈥淲hen these dogs finish their careers, the dogs just go back to the couch they came from,鈥� Lyttle said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e all family pets.鈥�
