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Sausage Dog Dash Charms Melbourne

The annual dachshund races have hit Mebourne's CBD.
Sausage dogs races have taken centre stage in Melbourne.
Gregory Johnston
Sausage dogs races have taken centre stage in Melbourne.

It doesn't quite stop the nation, but Melbourne's annual dachshund races look to have captured the hearts of many dog lovers across Australia.

A big crowd gathered at Melbourne's Southbank Boulevard on Saturday to witness a race card filled with sausage dogs, all competing over a 15-metre course.

That may not sound like far to run, but it is quite an effort for the German breed that grows to an average height of 20cm, as video captured at the event shows.

In its second year, races kicked off early and finished late afternoon, with the event aiming to beat the $3,500 raised last year for Dachshund Rescue Australia.

The races were especially popular on social media, with fans sharing photos of the short-legged participants, many of whom were dressed up for the race-meet.

Ridiculously cute #dachshund #dachshundraces #elfcostume

A photo posted by Beck Nugent (@beckn86) on

Dogs Lola and Ruby won the best dressed award, with owners Olivia Cohen-MaCadie and Mel Cohen saying about 2 weeks of work went into their runners' costumes, according to NewsCorp Australia.

Event organiser Scott Highfield told NewsCorp that the race was timed to coincide with OctoberFest.

"As part of our Oktoberfest celebrations, we're raising money for Dachshund Rescue Australia," he said.

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