‘The Pack’ canceled by Amazon after PETA condemned season 1



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Amazon Prime Video called the Humans and Their Dogs “The Pack” contest after just one season, TheWrap has learned. The “Amazing Race” style series was hosted by Olympian Lindsey Vonn (and her dog).

Last month, TheWrap obtained and posted footage from the editing room on the ground of dogs placed in seemingly dangerous situations. PETA condemned the footage in a statement to TheWrap.

“Video footage of a dog suspended in the air on someone’s harness and paddling in a futile effort to regain a foothold before being thrown into a rock face shows exactly where the producers’ priorities lie for ‘The Pack’ PETA wrote to us. “It looks like this clip ended up on the cutting room floor because the producers knew the dog was not enthusiastic and happy, but in distress. This senior dog should be curled up on a couch and not thrown into one unsafe situation after another for scoring reasons. No dog would choose to be part of this “pack”. “

PETA also sent a letter to Amazon’s head of unscripted programming Chris Castallo in which they said the footage “establishes exactly why real dogs and other animals have no place in the movies or television, and the way their safety and well-being is sacrificed for grades.

Read PETA’s full letter here. You can also see the leaked videos by following this link.

The videos, taken from raw footage of a challenge in the show’s third episode, showed the human-dog teams in charge of rappelling the 108-foot Los Campesinos Falls in Costa Rica. The clips are unedited and were shot with a cell phone on an editing machine, a source with knowledge of the post-production process told TheWrap, and were not released. The source added that the editor was asked to cut around these parts to make the scene work.

Animal safety was a major part of “The Pack” marketing, with Amazon touting the team of “Accredited Vets and Certified Canine Experts” who were present for every leg.

In an interview with Variety prior to the show’s debut, executive producer Jay Bienstock said these experts have “absolute power” over the place. “If dog safety said, ‘Stop this,’ we would stop. We gave them a pass for everything, ”he said.

The safety story was also written on the show. In the Costa Rica episode, just before the abseiling challenge, Vonn reminded the audience that dogs and owners had been given an “orientation” before the start of the season where teams were trained to various skills, including abseiling.

A member of the on-screen “Dog Safety Team” also appeared on camera to discuss what was to come: “What we’re looking for are signs or clues of stress – it could be. to lick would be to yawn, ”the person said. . “We check their heart rate before and after. We have taken everything into consideration to make sure the dogs are having a good time and are happy.

Amazon and “The Pack” studio Renegade83 did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment on the cancellation news.

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