The new owners, Charles, Hal and Mercedes, have no clue how to run a dog team and they end up paying for it with their lives.

When it comes to feeding the dogs, their main problem is that they do not really know how much to feed the dogs.  They give the dogs too much food at first.  The outside dogs aren't used to having less so they eat a lot.  The huskies are too worn out, so Hal gives them double the usual amount and then more when Mercedes asks him to.

That runs them out of food, so then the dogs end up starving.