DOG RACES: Meet Mary Poopins
EVERETT, Wash. — Meet Mary Poopins, star competitor in Saturday’s Great Small Dog Race at Angel of the Winds Arena.
The second installment of the Sam’s Cats and Dogs Naturally Great Small Dog Race Series, to be run in the first intermission of Saturday’s Silvertips game against the Victoria Royals, will feature five of the fastest dachshunds in Everett. Among the competing dogs is Mary Poopins, owned by Dave and Brenda Sizer, a physically disabled pup that uses a wheel apparatus to assist in mobility.
When Mary Poopins takes Everett ice, she will be donning a homemade Silvertips jersey made by Brenda complete with a bear hat and Silvertips flag to fly from the back of her mobility cart.
Silvertips fans may recall Dave and Brenda’s previous dog Anderson Pooper, a similarly disabled dachshund that ran in the 2020 Great Small Dog Race at Angel of the Winds Arena. Anderson Pooper was a mainstay at the Emerald Downs races for four years in her life before making her Everett Silvertips debut.
“It was something we always saw on TV,” explained Dave Sizer. “We thought, ‘we’ve got to get her in the race.’ When that opportunity came about, we jumped on it for sure.”
Anderson Pooper, previous entrant in the Great Small Dog Race (2020).
After Anderson’s passing in February of 2021, the Sizers took in Mary Poopins (believed to be four years old at the time of adoption) after a search that led them to an animal physical rehabilitation facility in Santa Monica, California.
“Having a special needs dog like [Anderson Pooper], we knew that sometimes shelters have a tough time re-homing them because people think that they require a lot of extra help,” Sizer noted. “It’s something that we were used to, and we wanted to reach out and find another dog that was in need of a home.”
Mary Poopins joined a Sizer family accustomed to dealing with animals. Brenda Sizer has worked at a veterinary clinic in Northgate, as well as other cat shelters around the greater Seattle area. The Sizer house, which once held as many as seven dogs, now has three canine companions including Mary Poopins, plus a special-needs physically paralyzed cat. The Sizers even ran a non-profit organization for a few years, Animals with Disabilities, to create a network of information and fostering for special needs pets.
The winner of the dachshund race on Saturday will receive the Pooper Trophy- named in Anderson Pooper’s honor.
Puck drop is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. Saturday night as the Silvertips take on the Victoria Royals. The Great Small Dog Race will be run after the first period. Tickets are available by clicking here.
