For one Scottsdale lawmaker, the dog days of session this year will refer to a charity dog race, not the often uneventful-days after committees stop meeting but before a budget package is ready to be approved.
Rep. Michele Reagan’s dachshund will be one of the competitors at the Weiner Dog Nationals, an annual race that raises funds for Arizona Adopt A Greyhound.
“I see a clip of it every year on the news, and I keep saying that I need to get my little doxie, Bozo, in that,” she said.
In order to qualify for the May 17 event, each dog must raise at least $50 in donations to the greyhound rescue organization, which finds homes for retired racing dogs. As of April 10, Bozo was winning the fundraising contest, as Reagan and her Capitol connections had donated $500, according to the event’s Web site.
Reagan said she has received donations for the race from a variety of lobbyists, lawmakers and Capitol staff, including House Speaker Jim Weiers.
Thanks to lobbying firm Veridus, which represents Phoenix Greyhound Park, the Weiner Dog race venue, Reagan’s family and friends will be able to cheer Bozo on from reserved tables in the park’s clubhouse, instead of battling crowds in the grandstands.
Reagan said all of the support certainly will lead to victory, even though that’s not the most important aspect of the race.
“Win or lose, the money goes to a great cause,” she said. “I just don’t want him to come out of the gate and get scared and run the wrong way.”