The Underdogs Ep3: You sell your soul

What caused the Peranos to abandon their dogs and screw so many people over? Nate enlists the help of a New Zealand journalist to find out.

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A few months ago, Outside/In host Nate Hegyi got a tip from the highest levels of the dog sledding community. It was about the first team from New Zealand to complete the Iditarod, a 1,000-mile race across some of Alaska’s harshest terrain. Over the past decade, Curt and Fleur Perano have transformed their success on the trail into a flourishing mushing tourism business in their home country’s south island. Some of their dogs have even appeared in a Marvel movie and a Taylor Swift music video.

But behind the scenes, in the usually-guarded world of competitive dog sledding, the Peranos have burned bridges, destroyed friendships, and left a trail of debt totaling tens of thousands of dollars.

In this special Outside/In mini-series, Nate investigates a story one musher describes as “one dead body away from Tiger King,” and exposes the singular culture within the world of elite mushing.

Featuring: Amanda Hasenauer, Jodi Bailey, Jenn Fisher, Jeff Fisher, Tony Turner, Gemma Nave, Tim Brown

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LINKS

Check out the history of working dogs here.

More than a dozen tourists have written bad reviews about Underdog sled dog tours on Tripadvisor and Google.

That bicycle ride Nate mentioned? It was part of an award-winning reporting project about the 2020 election.

CREDITS

Host: Nate Hegyi

Reported and produced by Nate Hegyi

Edited and mixed by Taylor Quimby

Editing help from Rebecca Lavoie, Jack Rodolico, Justine Paradis, Felix Poon, and Jessica Hunt

Rebecca Lavoie is our Executive Producer

Music for this episode by Blue Dot Sessions, Dylan Sitts, Joseph Beg, Hanna Lindgren, and Amaranth Cove.

Outside/In presents The Underdogs is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio

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