Westminster Dog Show Ditches Sponsor Because Ads Make Everyone Cry

[douglas9]

Anyone who sat down to watch the Westminster Kennel Club dog show this week probably likes dogs, and might even have one. That's why Pedigree brand dog food has been the event's major sponsor for the last 24 years, even though it's unlikely that the dogs in the ring eat such pedestrian fare. This year, Purina has replaced Pedigree as sponsor. Why? Was their contract up? Slashed ad budget? No. It was because Pedigree's commercials about the plight of shelter dogs were bumming everyone out.

"The feedback we got from our primary audience was that they were seeing commercials that made them want to turn the channel," a show spokesman told the Associated Press.

Other than a disagreement between the kennel club and Pedigree, this drags out divisions in the world of dog lovers: between the owners of purebred and designer dogs, who adopt from breeders, and the owners of all ancestries adopted from shelters and rescues.

http://consumerist.com/2012/02/westminster-dog-show-changes-sponsors-because-pedigree-ads-make-everyone-cry.html

[meti57b]

1. Those sad pictures remind me .......

that the Humane Society runs those kind of ads.

Once I sent them a nice check. They proceeded to send me repeated requests for more money, along with "gifts" and requests for a donation in return. The gifts were completely useless. They sent a little blanket with a cute picture of a pooch and a cat, however there were loose threads coming out of it and cats play with and swallow something like loose threads. They sent a completely useless "pocket calculator", and other junk that I cannot remember.

I started saving it all up and planned to return it to them in one package. At the end of one year, I weighed it and it was ten pounds of mail and other junk they had sent me. I finally threw it all out. I never sent them another donation. They eventually took me off their mailing list.

I would have appreciated it if they sent a couple sheets of those little address labels with your name and address that you can use for "return address".

I donate to the local dog and cat rescues.

[Broderick]

2. Makes me think of Sarah Mclachlan

Some of the saddest commercials on TV. We have four shelter rescues.

[michaz]

3. They may be sad...but they are reality. These dogs usually end up being euthanized.

It is a fact. We have pulled 4 dogs from high kill shelters and I would gladly introduce any one of them to someone's purebreed dog. Actually one of our dogs is a purebreed Weimaraner from a shelter out of Mississippi and another a purebreed black lab that was from dog control in NYS that was going to be euthanized. Another Weimaraner is from a rescue in Michigan and the other 2 are mixes both from high kill shelters from Georgia. We live in upstate New York.

[sinkingfeeling]

4. I love and support both groups. Had 6 purebred Samoyeds over the last 35 years and

7 rescue dogs.

[Stinky The Clown]

5. Of the millions upon millions of dog owners, who fits into this group?

That was, in my view, chickenshit on the part of AKC. Our family is two rescues and a 'sort of" rescue. Two are purebreds. There are too damned many dogs being euthanized to squelch this commercial. On the othe rhand, there is nothing AT ALL wrong with choosing to responsibly breed. The operative word is "responsibly". If every puppy mill were shut down, and if every irresponsible breeder were shut down, they would not be mourned and the world would be a better place.

And then we need to talk to dog owners. Spay and Neuter. Its a good thing to do.

These are not black and white issues. Shame on the AKC for making it one.

[iscooterliberally]

6. All my dogs are purebreds!

I have a minature Great Dane:



A Giant Schipperke (Skipper Key):



and A Giant Minature Pinscher:





BTW - I loved those Pedigree Commercials. Shelter dogs rock! All mine are rescued.