Final Fab Five Advances to Championship Race: PETCO's Search for America's Fastest Chihuahua Names Finalists

Nearly 2,800 Chihuahuas and their cheering pet parents competed this month for the chance to be named America's Fastest Chihuahua. The last round of the third annual PETCO Unleashed regional qualifying races was held Saturday in Seattle, Denver, Houston, San Diego and the Washington Metropolitan Area selecting five final winners to join the regional champions' pack.

San Diego, Calif. (PRWEB) May 20, 2007 -- Nearly 2,800 Chihuahuas and their cheering pet parents competed this month for the chance to be named America's Fastest Chihuahua (http://petconews.com). The last round of the third annual PETCO Unleashed (http://www.petco.com/Content/Content.aspx?PC=petcounleashed&Nav=1) regional qualifying races was held Saturday in Seattle, Denver, Houston, San Diego and the Washington Metropolitan Area selecting five final winners to join the regional champions' (http://www.petconews.com/) pack.

The competitors, accompanied by their human family members, raced in heats of 10 along a 1/18th furlong (35-foot-long) track. The winners were awarded a trip to San Diego to race for the coveted title of America's Fastest Chihuahua in front of cheering crowds between innings of a major league baseball game at PETCO Park (http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/sd/ballpark/index.jsp), home to the San Diego Padres, on Sept. 2, 2007.

The national race promises to be a cliffhanger with talented rookies racing against two returning national champions: Chalupa of Hammond, Ind., and Tiger of Rosamond, Calif., and a returning regional champion Cricket of Garland, Texas. The national winner will earn bragging rights, a trophy, a $300 PETCO gift card and a year's supply ofRoyal Canin (http://www.royalcanin.com/) Chihuahua food - approximately 12 times the average Chihuahua's weight.

The following five winners from Saturday's events will face off against 10 other regional winners.

- Washington Metropolitan Area

Name: Papageorgio

Age: 9 months

Sex: Male

Hometown: Annapolis, Md.

Proud Pet Parent: Brande Bidle and Robert Booth Jr.

Stats and Facts: Papageorgio may be young, but with help from his mom Brande Bidle, a personal trainer, this 9-month-old pup outran more than 100 other Chihuahuas during regional races in Maryland. "His motivation was the treats we gave him, plus he just loves running to me," says Bidle.

- Denver

Name: Rosco

Age: 10 months

Sex: Male

Hometown: Colorado Springs, Colo.

Proud Pet Parent: Sandra and Ken Bonitz

Stats and Facts: Rosco loves to run and chase grasshoppers on his owner's three-acre ranch. "There was no real formal training prior to the race. He loves to run and he really loves to run to me and that's what motivated him to win," said Sandra Bonitz.

- Houston

Name: Daisy

Age: 3

Sex: Female

Hometown: Mineral Wells, Texas

Proud Pet Parent: Wendy Walden

Stats and Facts: "She just loves to run, particularly chasing squirrels," said Walden who yelled the word squirrel to give Daisy an additional incentive to run during the final race. "We also made her a special cardboard box a few days before the race, so that she could get used to the idea of a starting gate."

- Seattle

Name: Cricket

Age: 5

Sex: Female

Hometown: Seattle

Proud Pet Parent: Celeste Virago-Lowe

Stats and Facts: Cricket covered the track in 2.9 seconds. "We absolutely did not expect this to happen," said Virago-Lowe. "We came on a fluke. We didn't even know about the races until four days ago, but when she gets going she can pretty much outrun anything."

- San Diego

Name: Elle, short for Elephant

Age: 1 1/2

Sex: Female

Hometown: San Diego

Proud Pet Parents: Monica Bilotti and Ron Tabernini

Stats and Facts: Elle has been gearing up for the race by running 100-yard dashes between her pet parents Monica Bilotti and Ron Tabernini. "She loves her mommy," says proud owner Bilotti. "Just keep us apart for five minutes and she runs right to me."

The remaining finalists are:

Chicago: National Champion 2005, 8-year-old Chalupa of Hammond, Ind., Proud Pet Parent: Alfonso Salinas, Jr.

Los Angeles: National Champion 2006, 3-year-old Tiger of Rosamond, Calif. Proud Pet Parent: Cathy Smith

Dallas: Regional Champion 2005, 4-year-old Cricket of Garland, Texas, Proud Pet Parents: Brooke Stanfield and Pam Martin

Sacramento: 2-year-old Tiffany of Elk Grove, Calif., Proud Pet Parents: Rick and Susan Faiola

Orange County: 2-year-old Moet of Marina Del Rey, Calif., Proud Pet Parents: Troy and Carrie Palmquist

San Francisco: 3-year-old Clarabelle of Boulder Creek, Calif., Proud Pet Parents: Travis and Crystal Krepelka

Miami: 4-year-old Paco of Boca Raton, Fla., Proud Pet Parents: Debbie and Dennis Miller

New York: 2-year-old Maddy of New York, Proud Pet Parent: Sue Yee

Boston: 2-year-old Minnie, Proud Pet Parent: Joe Escaler

Phoenix: 41/2-month-old Rosie of Phoenix, Proud Pet Parent: Julie Trevino

For additional information or to arrange an interview, contact:

Don Cowan, PETCO (858) 417-5244

Marta Karpinkska-Dean, PETCO (858) 444-5575

About PETCO

PETCO is a privately held specialty retailer that provides products, services and advice that make it easier for our customers to be great pet parents. We operate more than 850 stores in 49 states and the District of Columbia, as well as a leading pet products and information destination at www.petco.com (http://www.petco.com.). Our nonprofit organization, The PETCO Foundation, has raised more than $36 million since its inception in 1999 to help promote and improve the welfare of companion animals. In conjunction with the foundation, we work with and support more than 4,200 local animal welfare groups across the country to help find homes for more than 200,000 adoptable animals every year.

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