DANVILLE — Hundreds of little legs ran as fast as they could Saturday as a drizzle turned into a downpour at Lincoln Park.

The annual Midwest Dachshund Festival moved into the park’s pavilion, but many of the pint-sized participants and their parents packed up and headed for home.

The annual event seeks to publicize the plight of abandoned dachsies. Previously called Dachsiefest and held at Kickapoo State Park until this year, more than 300 dogs and their owners were expected to attend. But as with any outdoor event, weather plays an important role. This year, Mother Nature cut the festivities short, as short as the little dogs’ legs.

Neil Cortus served as the event’s emcee. He said as soon as the lightning started, he had to shut down all his electrical equipment and cover it up.

“It’s been a tough one today,” Cortus said, as he and his wife loaded their nine dachshunds and all their supplies into their camper.

“Once the weather got really bad, we moved into the pavilion. We still had a few events, and the people who stayed had fun.”

Those events included contests for: the farthest travel to the festival — dog and owner from Washington state; most dachsies brought to the event — 13; oldest dog — 20-years-old; and everyone’s favorite, the costume parade.

Three-year-old Maxine, a black, short-haired miniature dachshund dressed as a pirate, won the event, paws down. In her case, it was only three paws down instead of four, which her owner said inspired the pirate outfit.

“Pirate — peg leg, right?” Rhonda Curry of Louisville, Ky. said. Then she shared Maxine’s tale of rescue.

“When I first met Maxine, she was five weeks old. Her mother had chewed off part of her leg, and she was going to be put down,” Curry said. “She was the sweetest little thing. I just couldn’t let that happen.”

The little dog showed her appreciation by constantly licking her owner’s face and standing perfectly still while she was dressed in costume.

“I buy outfits from Build-a-Bear and modify them,” Curry said. That fun has turned into a business called Maxine’s Diva Things.

There was just a little time to sell the outfits before they had to be protected from the rain.

A few proud owners stayed and shared stories about their beloved dogs.

The Feye family from Round Lake Beach traveled almost five hours to Danville for the festival. Their dog Beau was a May pin-up in the Dachshund Rescue calendar.

Chris Feye explained how his family adopted the dog.

“A man went to prison, and people went in to pack up his belongings,” Feye said. “They found this dog, with several days’ worth of food and water, still inside.

“A neighbor recognized the dog. He’d seen the owner walking him, and took him in as a foster dog.

“We’d lost our own dachshund a few months before,” he said. “We decided to adopt Beau.”

Leslie Feye described the breed as “sweet, kind, faithful and dedicated.”

Sally Miller from Morton added a few adjectives of her own to that tribute. She’s owned dachshunds since the ‘60s.

“They’re a great family pet,” Miller said as she held her 1-year-old miniature wirehaired dachsie, Raggy. “They’re independent, but they’re loving.”

And their owners love them right back.

Although Jill Blasdel-Cortus, president and founder of Dachshund Rescue of North America, felt disappointed that the weather interfered with the event her group sponsored, she and her husband Neil remained optimistic.

“We spoke with the mayor (Scott Eisenhauer) right before things got really bad,” Neil Cortus said. “He said he’ll help us find an indoor venue for next year.”



FYI

More information on dachshund rescue and an event calendar for Dachshund Rescue of North America can be found at http://www.drna.org.