Goodbye, Sweet Boy: Copper, The Fastest Wiener Dog in Texas

With broken hearts and deep sorrow, we said goodbye to our beloved Copper today. Once known as The Fastest Wiener Dog in Texas, he lived the last eight years of his life the way a retired champion should -- sleeping, eating, and enjoying his family. Without a doubt, Copper was the sweetest, smartest, most loving dog who ever walked -- and ran -- the earth. God blessed our family mightily when He gave us Copper. We will desperately miss the little fellow. 

Copper Ebenezer Shocklee was born on January 2, 1999. When he was seven weeks old, he came to live with us, his Forever Family. Full of energy and playfulness, we immediately fell in love with him. It wasn't long before he was chasing tennis balls and other toys, and we couldn't help but notice how fast he ran on those short legs. 

When he was a year old, he was invited to enter the Wiener Dog Nationals race in Houston. Out of a field of 65 dogs, Copper came in 2nd, with his "cousin" Simba Shocklee coming in 1st. In April 2000, Copper and Simba competed in the Buda Wiener Dog race with 200 other dogs. Simba came in 1st, Copper came in 2nd.

It would be the last race Copper ever lost. 

That summer Copper won the Summer Invitational Wiener Dog Nationals race in Houston, earning a spot in the annual race in January where cousin Simba reigned. Although that race was close, Copper pulled ahead and won, beating Simba and 63 other dogs. We were hooked! Copper competed in the Houston race one more year, the Buda race six more times, and a race in Belton, winning every single time. He was featured on CBS Sunday Morning, On the Porch with Jim Swift (KXAN Austin), several local news programs, and in newspaper articles. The last year he competed in the Buda race, it had grown to a field of 600 dogs! Copper was an old man compared to the other dogs and the competition was gunning for his title, with some dogs coming from as far away as Florida. But even though he'd slowed down some, he still managed to come in first, winning by a nose. His legend lives on in the hearts and minds of those who love a good wiener dog race. No dog has beaten his record of wins in the Buda races and we proudly doubt anyone ever will. We retired him in 2007, but he enjoyed chasing a ball and favorite squeaky toys in the backyard for many years to come. 

We, his family, will cherish our memories of our beloved Copper, knowing we were the lucky ones the day we saw an ad in the newspaper advertising Dachshund puppies for sale. There will never be another dog like him.

Rest in peace, sweet boy. You've earned it.