A Charity Sled Dog Race Where the Dogs Mush Humans Is Always Funny

I get a lot of emails from PR firms trying to plug their products through "social media," which is really just a marketing term for, "hey, blogger, post this story so we don't have to pay for actual advertising."

I'd say that 99 times out of 100, I'll ignore the email altogether, but when the subject reads "Snausages Man Sled Race in Alaska," how can you keep your eyes away? I dare you to get an email with that subject line and not open it. Seriously, what's your email? You can't do it. Oh, and the event was all for charity.

You win, PR maven. You win.

With the Iditarod taking place in Alaska this weekend (Did Sarah Palin do the promotional video for it? You betcha!), hilariously-named Snausages brand dog treats decided to host a charity race where the dogs get pulled by people. The dogs raced the sleds…pulled by people. How was this not on ESPN? The particulars:

Four teams of men and women raced against each other to pull sleds, while the dogs navigated the reins across 75 yards of frozen Alaskan terrain.

The Snausages Man Sled Race highlights the unique bond and fun furienship shared between dogs and their mushers and to recognize these courageous teams with a donation to an animal shelter/organization of their choice.

The winning team, featuring Iditarod participant Dallas Seavey, received $5,000 for their charity, the Second Chance League. The Second Chance League is a Fairbanks-based organization that focuses on finding homes for sled dogs who end up in municipal animal shelters. In addition, Snausages donated $1,000 to Friends of Pets, Alaska Dog & Puppy Rescue and Alaska SPCA on behalf of the other three teams.

And a note to PR people out there for future reference: if you ever want sports bloggers to pay attention to your silly promotion, dogs riding sleds, or anything with the word "Snausages", is a great start.

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.