Dewey holds Cinco de Mayo Chihuahua Race

Chihuahuas and Chihuahua wannabes will hit the beach this weekend as Dewey Beach celebrates Cinco de Mayo in an unusual way.  But for one family, the event is more than a reason to visit the beach.

The town will host the first annual Cinco de Mayo Chihuahua Race at 12 p.m., Saturday, May 5.  Dogs will race in a 30 to 40-yard fenced area on beach. The fastest Chihuahua will win a $100 cash prize. A follow up race – the “I wish I was a Chihuahua” heat – will give other small dogs, weighing less than 15 pounds, a chance to race.

Dewey Beach resident Joe Kane presented the idea to giggling Dewey Beach commissioners at an April 14 meeting.  Kane said he saw a similar event three years ago in Delray Beach, Fla.  “It was just a blast,” he said.  “Why couldn’t we do that here?”

Kane said because Cinco de Mayo falls on a Saturday, the event could be a success with visiting families. “I think the town benefits because it should be a fun, family-friendly event,” Kane said.

Kane said he hopes the event will grow each year, and he has already heard from a number of visitors planning to attend the race.  “I’m hoping if this works out, we can make an annual event of it on the weekend closest to Cinco de Mayo,” Kane said.

Evi Pover, of Tannersville, Pa., said she and her family visit Dewey Beach every spring. “The minute we heard about it, we made plans to go. It sounded too fun to pass up,” Pover said.

Pover, along with her son, Danny, and her mother, Yvonne, will race their Chihuahua, Esperanza, a former Mexican street dog.  “We thought having a real Mexican dog running in the race would be fun and meaningful at the same time, given that she has been our inspiration to do as much as we can to help with the problem of strays in Mexico,” Pover said.

Pover said the family visits Mexico for one month every summer to volunteer at rescue organizations for stray cats and dogs.  She said when they visited in 2010, they were shocked at the large number of strays in visibly poor health.

Yvonne Pover, of Alexandria, Va., said the family adopted Esperanza from Coco’s Cat Rescue in Playa del Carmen, south of Cancun, Mexico.

Yvonne said Esperanza would have been put down in a dog pound, but Coco’s Cat Rescue rescued her because Esperanza was nursing three kittens. “We weren't looking for a dog but ended up adopting her,” Yvonne said in an email.

Pover said Danny decided on Esperanza’s name, which means hope in Spanish. “My son wanted to name her Hope because, as he put it, "She gave hope to the kittens," who otherwise would have died without her milk,” Pover said.  She said the kittens were later adopted too.

Pover said Esperanza is fast and could have a shot at winning the race.  “But then again, we're figuring that other Chihuahuas must be fast too,” Pover said. “We believe she already won because she was rescued and found a home. Everything else is just a bonus.”

Registration will be held the day of the event at the Life Saving Station on Dagsworthy Avenue.  The race will be headquartered at the Atlantic Oceanside Motel, between Dagsworthy and McKinley avenues.  Race participants will receive discounted rates at the Atlantic Oceanside.  For information on rates, call 302-227-8811.

A $25 registration fee includes a Dewey Beach dog license, which is valid for the life of a dog.  Cash that is not awarded will be donated to the Dewey Beach Patrol.