The Super Bowl Has Gone to the Dogs
Pooches are the stars of this year's commercials.
The San Francisco 49ers may not be playing in this year’s Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 5, but there are plenty of television commercials featuring man’s best friend. Advertisers know that “cute” sells, and have opted to use dogs this year in full force to grab the public’s attention. Sure, there’s still the adorable E*TRADE baby, but this year the dogs have it.
Subaru of America has a series of humorous ads with dogs in the driver's seat. One shows a group of dogs on a camping trip, trying unsuccessfully to launch a canoe into the lake. Another features a pack of dogs out for a day at the beach, including a surfing bulldog. The company’s slogan is, “Dog Tested. Dog Approved.” My husband and I joke that our Subaru Outback is our dog’s car because of the convenient gate at the back of the wagon, and it seems that the company has targeted dog owners as its market.
Not to be outdone, the American Suzuki Motor Corporation added Siberian huskies to its commercial to turn up the cute factor to sell its sport utility vehicle.
Volkswagen is staying true to its Star Wars theme this year. Last year it was a cute little boy in a Darth Vader costume, and this year, it's a chorus line of dogs singing "The Bark Side."
One of the canine stars this year is Mr. Quiggly, a French bulldog wearing red sneakers for a line of Skechers running shoes. Quiggly reportedly beat out Kim Kardashian as the spokesmodel for Skechers. The commercial is set at a greyhound racetrack, and some animal rights organizations have taken issue with the endorsement of greyhound racing.
Bud Light has a humorous spot about a party gone to the dogs with its “Dog Sitter” commercial, and Doritos is letting viewers vote ahead of time as to which ad to run on Super Bowl Sunday. One of the contenders is set in a dog park, but the humans are acting sillier than the canines.
Pet of the Week
Sandy is a cute 2-year old shepherd mix. She’s sweet and gentle, and according to her foster parent, has “the softest coat ever.” She’s very affectionate, knows how to “sit” and does well in her crate. Her favorite hobby is going to the beach and she takes to the water so well that she may have some Labrador retriever mixed in. Her adoption fee covers her spay and current vaccinations.
For more information about Sandy and other dogs available for adoption, visit Copper’s Dream Rescue website.
Robert
7:10 am on Friday, February 3, 2012
Greyhounds and Greyhound Racing should be endorsed. These are fantastic animals who make fantastic pets after their racing careers. Part of the reason they do make such great pets is because of the stellar care they're given . Mr Quiggly's pretty cute, too.
VWolf
1:38 pm on Friday, February 3, 2012
It is unconscionable that Skechers would shoot an ad at this notorious dog track where hundreds of dogs live lives of confinement and suffer injuries on the track.
At Tucson Greyhound Park, greyhounds are kept confined in small cages which are barely large enough for them to stand up or turn around. They are fed raw 4-D meat, the meat of downed, diseased, disabled or dead livestock. This was documented in a recent video investigation.
While racing, greyhounds face the risk of serious injury. According to state records, between January 2007 and November 2009, nearly 1,000 greyhound injuries were reported at Arizona racetracks. The most common injury was a broken leg, and other reported injuries included fractures, sprains, dislocations, muscle tears and strains, lacerations, a cracked skull, broken backs, heat stroke, puncture wounds and paralysis. To learn more, please see our full report and video at http://grey2kusa.org/pdf/AZ2011.pdf
http://grey2kusa.org/azVideo.html
http://grey2kusa.org/azInjuries.html
V Wolf, Board Member GREY2K USA
Robert
2:19 pm on Friday, February 3, 2012
re: Vwolf comment - The feeding of 4D meat has never been an issue. It is perfectly safe for pet / animal consumption, according to the USDA. The health of a Greyhound has never been at risk from having 4D meat a part of their diet. Injuries are not common in Greyhound racing. The chance of a Greyhound being injured in a race - 0.03% (one-third of one percent). And more than half of all injures are very minor - not career ending. Grey2k is an extremist animal rights group (e.g. PETA / HSUS). Their president and executive director (husband and wife Christine Dorchak and Carey Theil) took 30% of all donations as personal compensation in 2010. The remaining 70% was used for "expenses". The amount that directly benefits Greyhounds? A BIG FAT ZERO.