In Amazon’s newest reality series, The Pack, humans and their loyal canine companions are paired up for a race around the world, The Amazing Race-style, in hot pursuit of a $750,000 first-place prize. The winner takes home $500,000 and selects a charity of their choice to receive the remaining $250,000. However, let’s be really honest... the real prize here is getting to race around the world and take part in fun and exciting challenges with cute canines. Hosted by gold medal-winning skier Lindsey Vonn and her King Charles Cavalier Lucy, the show is heartwarming, fun, silly, and exciting. It highlights the unbreakable, incomparable bond that dogs and their humans share.
In completing dog-centric challenges that are heavily monitored by a Dog Safety Team (to ensure the physical and emotional health of the dogs), humans and their pooches deepen the bond they share. All twelve pairs initially entered the competition with an already tight bond and an incredibly sweet origin story. Goldendoodle Derby saved his human Kentucky’s life when Kentucky was struggling with substance abuse and depression. Kentucky says having Derby gave him someone other than himself to take care of, and this helped him to get up and out of his apartment on even the darkest of days. Now, the pair spend their days surfing and loving life. Jax, a therapy Golden Retriever, keeps his human Vania company while her police officer husband is away working.
The most tear-jerking story of love and companionship belongs to Black Lab Duchess and her human Lucy. Lucy and her husband adopted Duchess from the Southern California Labrador Retriever Rescue when the pup was just four months old. according to That's It LA. At the time, Lucy had two children: a two-year-old and a four-month-old. One of their children has special needs. For years, the child was unable to sleep through the night. Lucy struggled with persistent anxiety. Enter Duchess. Duchess came into this family and instinctively knew exactly what it needed. When Duchess started sleeping in a bed with Lucy’s special needs child, the little one was finally able to sleep through the night. As for Lucy? Duchess was critical to her healing process after the tragic stillborn birth of her third child. Duchess sat loyally at Lucy's side through all the heartbreak, loving her unconditionally. According to Lucy, “Duchess was/is so in tune with our emotions and needs to be comforted and soothed. She is truly a remarkable, angelic soul.”
At eight years old, Duchess is the oldest lady competitor on The Pack. In fact, she and Lucy were the oldest female team. Though Duchess was a very well-behaved dog, she didn’t exactly know a ton of commands or tricks. Prior to filming, Lucy says Duchess would shake while in elevators and had never traveled in anything other than a car. The dog knew the basics, such as “sit” and “fetch." So, it was a little intimidating to be cast in a group of surfing, tracking, mountain climbing, modeling, and acting dogs. Since Duchess is a whip-smart old lady, she learned tug, paw, and stay, and bravely traveled by plane, train, and boat. She even fell asleep on her first helicopter ride! So long to shaking in elevators!
Lucy says filming The Pack changed her life (for the better) forever. After ten years of being a mom first, Lucy got back in touch with herself. She put herself first and even lost twenty pounds over the course of filming. However, she knows none of it would’ve happened without her best friend Duchess.
The Pack is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Sources: That's It LA, Chicago Tribune
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