[5] Levitt and her producer husband, Arnie Zipursky, were interviewed about the life of these dogs, specifically the quality of their surroundings, their treatment, and their reactions to witnessing their behaviour in captivity.

As Levitt's research progressed, she uncovered numerous cases of animal abuse, which led her to produce a film to raise awareness and shut down the industry.

The film highlights the lives of dogs trained from a young age and then often confined to short chains for pulling tourists or racing.

The film also exposes the unfortunate cases of dogs that are killed when they are no longer useful, such as the 100 animals that a recreational sledding company near Whistler, British Columbia, shot.

"[10] The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) gave Levitt's Documentary to a representative of US banking institution, Wells Fargo.

A Globe and Mail article reported that this major corporate sponsor was "disturbed by its content" with withdrew their sponsorship of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

[11][7] The Vancouver Humane Society created a press release about Sled Dogs (2016) to let people know that the release of the documentary's premiere will be screened as part of Whistler’s Documentary Strand program, and that the location was picked because of its proximity to where 100 sled dogs were "brutally murdered, sparking outrage throughout North America."

According to Producer Arnie Zipursky, documentaries hold immense power in the modern world as they offer a platform to educate viewers on various issues.

In the case of Sled Dogs, the documentary not only sheds light on hidden truths but also inspires the audience to drive positive change through increased awareness[12][7] According to Bruce Cowley, the senior director of Documentary Channel, "Sled Dogs" offers an unfiltered and honest view of an industry that needs to improve.

Rather than focusing on the commonly promoted image of sled dogs as tourism and sports icons, the film presents a sincere and moving account, encouraging viewers to delve deeper into the topic and reconsider their perceptions of the industry.

[7][12] The documentary film "Sled Dogs" features four interconnected stories that take place across various locations in North America, including Alaska, Colorado, Wyoming, Quebec, British Columbia, and Ontario.

The episode shared the account of an activist who travelled across Canada, and found roughly 2,000 dogs, all on chains, frantically running in circles.

The Sûreté du Québec says Antoine Simard, 41, Elisabeth Leclerc, 39, and 58-year-old Édouard Parent were charged with animal cruelty and neglect at the Quebec City courthouse on Thursday after being arrested the day prior.

"[35] In 2017, Helen T. Verongos (New York Times) wrote, "It’s easy to fall in love with the animals in “Sled Dogs.” It’s thornier to sift through the words of the handlers and mushers — many of whom seem to genuinely care for the dogs — and determine how pervasive abuse is in dog-sledding ventures.

"[9] Barbara Kay, a political columnist from The National Post wrote an article about a feature song chosen by Levitt for the soundtrack of "Gorbachev's Revolution" (released in 2004).

Kay explains that during the editing for the documentary, Levitt put together a sequence showing the Berlin Wall coming down, and wanted to hear children singing a "sweet peace song" during this historical moment.