Dogs Get in the Driver's Seat for Snausages 'Man Sled Race'

Mar 5th 2010

Alaska has played host to plenty of races involving dogs, snow, and sleds, but in the first ever Snausages Man Sled Race in Girdwood, Alaska at the Alyeska Resort, men and their dogs switch roles!

Earlier this week, canines called the shots as four teams of men pulled sleds across 75 yards of frozen Alaskan terrain seeking victory, glory and, most importantly, a sizable donation to their pet charity of choice. The Red team won the big prize, $5,000 for the Second Chance League -- an organization that works to find permanent homes for sled dogs. They were followed by the Yellow, Green and Blue teams, each of which still received $1,000 for their charities.

Paw Nation had a chance to ask one of the winners, Danny Seavey -- who is competing in the Iditarod Dog Sled Race this weekend -- a few questions about this human competition:

How did you get involved with the man sled race?
This was something my brothers and I had talked about for a long time. We'd even done similar races up and down the driveway as kids, so when Snausages contacted us about doing it for a good cause, I was very excited to be involved.

What kind of training was involved in preparing for the event?
We spent two hours a day for over a week teaching my dog Chinook to stay in the sled. She would climb in and sit down okay, but as soon as the sled started moving, she would jump out and try to pull it. She really sympathized with us athletes, and I think she felt bad about making us pull her. Once she finally figured out we really wanted to pull her, she decided she liked it. She would make us pull her past all the other female dogs, and she'd ride past looking like a queen.