A dog day afternoon at the Mutt Derby

Anything can happen at the Sarasota Kennel Club's 10th Annual Mutt Derby. In past races, dogs have jumped into the pond, ran in the wrong direction, played with other dogs in the middle of the race or stopped to say hello to spectators. These dogs may not be professional racers, but they did have some big fans cheering them on.

Dogs of all breeds and their owners gathered at the race track of the Sarasota Kennel Club to compete in a friendly competition that raised funds for Fast Friends Greyhound Adoption. The dogs were divided into five weight categories and competed against seven other dogs each race.

“The Jack Russells always seem to win the smaller weight categories,” said event organizer Sue Peakes. “One year we had a huge dog that was very shy and when they released him, he just wanted to get out of there and he won. It just depends on who is racing.”