Hot dog, anyone? Wiener dogs gather for Cape Cod Doxie Day reunion with costume parade

Humans aren’t the only ones who gather for reunions.

Dachshunds, also known as wiener dogs, sausage dogs and doxies, will gather for Cape Cod Doxie Day, from noon to 3 p.m. Sept. 30 in Barnstable Village behind the courthouse at 3195 Main St. Dachshund lovers travel from near and far to gather for the annual celebration of the beloved “hot dog.”

“Just looking at them makes you smile,” said Eva Carbonaro, president of the Cape Cod Doxie Day organization, which holds the event, “because they're just so funny and full of personality. They think they're a big dog; they take over your heart.”

Doxie Day will feature a variety of contests, a parade, and other activities for dachshunds, “wiener wannabes” (other dogs) and the canines’ human friends.

Among them are:

Owner/Pet Look Alike Contest: You might want to plan your outfits accordingly for this one. According to Carbonaro, this contest was inspired by an owner whose goatee matched that of his wire-haired dachshund.

“Sometimes people will dress up like their doxies,” she says. “Last year we had a couple that dressed in lederhosen and their dachshunds did, too. It was really fun to watch how people get into it.”

The Wiener Waddle and Waggin’ Parade: The parade features doxies in strollers and decorative wagons. Carbonaro says one year someone decorated a wagon with a “Jaws” theme, and another featured dogs in a picnic-table scene, complete with red checkered tablecloth. Another was made up as an ambulance, with humans dressed up as a nurse and a doctor and their pup as the patient.

“People get really creative,” Carbonaro said.

Doxie Day Café: Baristas will be on hand to serve up puppuchinos and other treats. You might want to start going over the flavors with your pup now.

“This year we're doing a pumpkin spice … peanut butter banana ― the Elvis ― so they can get all kinds of combinations of different flavors and enjoy those. They go crazy over them.”

Singing of the official “Dachs” Song: Carbonaro says you have to hear it to believe it.

“Oh, my goodness, you have to come and find out (what it’s like),” she says. “It’s kind of like a waltz I guess, and the ukulele club will be there and they'll have a sing-along.”

Carbonara adds that the members of the Cape Cod Ukulele Club “are just amazing.”

“They'll do songs about hound dogs and that kind of stuff to entertain people, and a lot of times they come dressed up, too, which is fun."

In addition to these and other activities, Doxie Day will bring together people who have taken in dogs through Paw-Affection Dachshund Rescue. The nonprofit organization not only rescues dachshunds but other small breeds and places them with foster families.

“This is like a destination for them (the dogs, the foster families and members of the organization) and a reunion for them,” Carbonaro says. “… To see the transformation of these dogs when they find their forever homes is just amazing.”

This year’s proceeds will go to Friends of Falmouth Dogs, which provides shelter and care for abandoned and stray animals, among other services.

Admission is free. More information on Doxie Day can be found at www.ccdoxieday.com/.

Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Cape Cod Times subscription. Here are our subscription plans.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Doxie Day: Dachshunds have their day Sept. 30 in Barnstable Village