Amazon Prime Video canceled the “The Pack” competition between humans and dogs after just one season, TheWrap found. The series in the style “Amazing Race” was presented by the Olympic Lindsey Vonn (and her dog).
Last month, TheWrap obtained and published an edition of footage of dogs being placed in apparently dangerous situations. PETA condemned the footage in a statement to TheWrap.
“Video footage of a dog hanging in the air in a harness and paddling in a futile effort to gain balance before being rocked on a rock shows exactly where the producers’ priorities for ‘The Pack’ are,” wrote PETA to us . “It seems that this clip ended up in the editing room because the producers knew that the dog was not excited and happy, but anguished. This senior dog should be cuddled on a couch, not thrown in one dangerous situation after another for classification purposes. No dog would choose to be part of this ‘pack’. “
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PETA also sent a letter addressed to the head of Amazon’s impromptu programming, Chris Castallo, in which he stated that the footage “establishes exactly why real dogs and other animals do not belong in movies or on TV, as well as how their safety and well -being are sacrificed for ratings. “
Read the full PETA letter here. You can also see the leaked videos by following this link.
The videos, taken from raw images of a challenge in the show’s third episode, showed teams of human dogs rapping over the 108-foot Los Campesinos waterfall in Costa Rica. The clips were not edited and were filmed with a cell phone from an editing machine, a source with knowledge of the post-production process told TheWrap, and were not aired. The source added that the editor was instructed to cut these parts to make the scene work.
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Animal safety was an important part of “The Pack” marketing, with Amazon publicizing the team of “accredited veterinarians and certified dog specialists” who were present for each leg.
In an interview with Variety ahead of the show’s debut, executive producer Jay Bienstock said these experts have “absolute power” in place. “If the dog’s safety said, ‘Stop it’, we would stop. We gave them permission on everything, ”he said.
The security narrative was also included in the program. In the Costa Rica episode, just before the abseiling challenge, Vonn reminded the audience that the dogs and owners were subjected to “orientation” before the start of the season, where teams were trained in a variety of skills, including abseiling.
A member of the “dog security team” on the screen also appeared on the camera to discuss what was about to happen: “What we are looking for are signs or signs of stress – it could be licking, it would be yawning,” said the person. “We checked your heartbeat before and after. We take everything into account to ensure that the dogs are having fun and happy ”.
Amazon and “The Pack” studio Renegade83 did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment on the cancellation news.