Diane Krecji never set out to turn her hometown of Buda, Texas, into the wiener dog capital of Texas. It just happened that way.

“Scarlet, my granddog, raced in the wiener dog races in Savannah, Georgia. We needed this in Buda. They just laughed at me. The men were like, ‘Oh, right Diane. Wienie races, sure,’” recalls Krecji to Austin News 8.

That was 11 years ago. Now the Buda Wiener Dog Races, which benefit the local Lions Club and several children’s charities, are one of the most popular dog events in Texas, drawing thousands of people every spring to this small town south of Austin.

“I made them believers,” Krecji says. “Once they saw it, after that first year, you know they just pounced on it.”

The races, which were held this year on April 27 and 28, even inspired a 2005 documentary, “Lord of the Wiens.”

The crowning glory for Krecji came when Texas lawmakers made it official, voting to name Buda “Wiener Dog Capital of Texas.”

To learn more about Buda’s Wiener Dog Races, visit www.budalionsclub.com