Corgi racing — yes, corgi racing — was shown on ESPN to the delight of animal lovers everywhere

A bunch of very good dogs!

It’s the dog days of summer at ESPN. Yes, for real.

On Saturday, in the midst of a very chill afternoon with little sports content, ESPN surprised viewers with an unexpected treat. After airing MLS soccer in the afternoon, ESPN switched tracks completely and started airing corgi racing on their main channel.

The corgi race in question was the 2021 Corgi Races held at Emerald Downs in Auburn. Sadly, the race already happened back in July — and it’s not immediately clear if ESPN telegraphed this to their audience — but the event was a wonderful surprise even though it wasn’t live TV.

Here’s how the first race went down, with some top-notch commentary.

And here’s how the final race ended, with Angus taking home the top prize after holding off a late burst of speed from Chance.

Talk about a thrilling finish! Animal lovers everywhere were thrilled, perplexed, and amused at the proceedings on ESPN.