May 4, 2008

And they're off!

Palo Alto couple's pooch takes top spot, will compete for national title

By Jason Green / Daily News Staff Writer

For Palo Altans Mel and Katrina Soledad, the most important race Saturday didn't take place at Churchill Downs, and it didn't include horses.

No, the couple's focus was strictly on a 35-foot track laid out in a San Bruno parking lot and Chloe, their chocolate-colored, nearly 3-year-old Chihuahua-pug mix.

Chloe was one of roughly 240 diminutive dogs who competed Saturday in the PETCO Unleashed 4th annual National Chihuahua Races. It took her just 1.6 seconds to sprint down the field and into Katrina's arms to claim the title of quickest Chihuahua in the San Francisco region.

"She hates it when we're separated," said an ecstatic Katrina, speculating on the motivation for Chloe's big win. "She wants to be with me all the time."

Races also took place in the New York, Boston, Denver and San Diego areas on Saturday.

The winners of those events and another 10 regional races that took place in April will square off Aug. 31 at PETCO Park in San Diego for the title of America's fastest Chihuahua.

Chloe stands a good chance of taking the top prize - a trophy, $300 PETCO gift card, a year's supply of pet food and, of course, bragging rights. Her lightning-fast time of 1.6 seconds is in all likelihood the quickest recorded so far, race organizers said Saturday.

PETCO launched the races four years ago, choosing Chihuahuas because of their popularity, company spokeswoman Marta Karpinska-Dean said.

"The idea was to create an event that would give pet owners an opportunity to spend some time celebrating the human-animal bond and would allow dogs to socialize with others and possibly - if they choose to - do some running," she said.

On a more serious note, the races also spotlight local pet adoption groups, such as Chihuahua Rescue & Transport.

"This brings awareness to the public that there are Chihuahuas that do need to be rescued ... from unfortunate circumstances," volunteer Sharon Stroud said about Saturday's race in The Shops at Tanforan PETCO parking lot.

The Soledads said they adopted Chloe from a shelter in Fremont after being turned down by Furry Friends Rescue, a Bay Area-based nonprofit animal rescue organization.

"She was a homeless dog two years ago, and now she's taking us to San Diego. That's unfathomable" Katrina said. "Just having her is a gift."

As the Soledads prepare for the Southern California showdown, other competitors said they would be back next year for a shot at the title. Jeanette Woods, for one, has big plans for her two dogs Teeny and Tiny, who was flummoxed by the starting gate.

"We're gonna prepare both of them. They'll kick butt," said the Menlo Park resident, admitting that the only training Tiny did for the race was chase Teeny around.

Meanwhile, Chloe will continue a training regimen that includes walks around Stanford and occasional uphill sprints. The Soledads, who entered Chloe in last year's San Francisco-area race and finished second, said they marked out a track slightly longer than the 35-foot course used in the official event.

"She's only 10 pounds, and now we know it's all muscle," Mel joked.



E-mail Jason Green at jgreen@dailynewsgroup.com.





ON THE WEB:

www.petco.com/petcounleashed