I keep seeing this Pedigree commercial with a dog, Echo, in a run at a shelter. As David Duchovny talks about all the dogs that don’t get adopted from shelters Echo is laying quietly at the back of a run and then jumps up and runs to the front of the kennel as two people stop and look at her and then walk away. She continues to watch them with this happy look on her face but it subtly changes to a more confused look as the people don’t come back. Okay, so maybe I am anthropomorphizing but you can almost hear the dog’s thinking processes;
“Hi! Are you talking me home?!”
“Um … where are you going?”
“You’re coming back, right?”
“right?”
…
“Hello”
“Anybody?”
And dammit I get teary every time I see it. I am a Veterinary Technician and have been for about 25 years. I work with animals all the time, I have rescued many dogs and cats over the years and helped find them new homes. I’ve seen many others that could not be adopted out but I cry at that darned commercial! So I had to know if Echo got adopted or is a professional dog actor they used for the commercial so I did a search. Apparently I wasn’t the only one worried about Echo judging by the hits I got on google for “echo pedigree commercial dog”. Anyway, I found a couple comments saying that Echo was adopted in November. But I just saw the commercial and got teary again. That dog needs to get an Oscar or something.
I can’t watch videos on my dial up but google says this should be the one I am referring to.
There’s a worse one with Sarah McLachlan singing, and lots of pictures of abused/neglected pets, and then she goes into her pitch for donating to the Humane Society to help save all of these animals. It’s a pretty long commercial too, maybe a minute or so, and I always get a lump in my throat when it comes on.
That Echo commercial also brings tears to my eyes every time, even though I knew that dog would be adopted the second the commercial hit the air if he wasn’t an actor. And that Humane Society commercial with Sarah McLachlan singing? I can’t even watch it, it’s so heartbreaking. But I also want to run to my phone every time it comes on (which is a lot on BBC America, unfortunately) and donate to the Humane Society. Why do they have to make such effective commercials, darn them?!? <shakes fist impotently>
ETA: Yes, I saw one report that Echo was adopted Nov. 3 from a shelter in Los Angeles, and is now with a loving family. Whew!!
Sorry, it was the ASPCA. Here’s the commercial. And you’re right, I think I’ve been catching it on BBC America as well. The one I linked to is two minutes long, no wonder it feels like a long commercial!
Wile E - Last year Pedigree ran similar ads - "My name is Oliver, and I’m a good dog! And I just want to go home. Darned ads make me tear up just thinking about them. And make me wonder if maybe I could make a space for a 6th dog (I can’t).
Wile E - I know - she’s lying there all calm, then she perks up and sits in front of the kennel door, her ears perked, and almost quivering with anticipation, but trying to be the best dog ever so they’ll pay attention. And they just walk on by. Heartless humans! And then she looks so sad and confused. She’s much better an actor than Rin Tin Tin or Lassie or Kevin Costner.
The Echo commercial makes me tear up, too, but it’s definitely not as bad as the Sarah MacLachlan one. That one actually makes me sob uncontrollably and now when it comes on I have to change the channel. I think that one’s harder to watch because many of the animals have obviously been abused. Great, now I’m thinking about the one-eyed doggie and trying not to bawl.
yellowval - Actually, it doesn’t take much for those pop-eyed dogs to lose an eye. My neighbor’s shih-tzu did sort of spontaneously. I look at that dog that reminds me of my Afghan hound pup and just want to bring him home. I see these ads and want to take them all in, but with 5 rescued dogs and 4 rescued cats (and two horses), I’m financially maxed out.
Yeah. The second dog my family had was adopted from the Humane Society as an 11-month-old. She was some kind of odd spaniel mix - more than likely someone didn’t spay and neuter, and she was one of the litter. We discovered she was gun-shy. We also learned that she had been beaten when my mom came into the backyard with something in her hand, and our dog, seeing her at a distance approaching with a visible item in her hand, began cringing as if to hide in the grass and whimpering loudly. She was terrified. We suspect someone had figured a mixed-breed spaniel would be a good hunting dog, found out she was gun-shy, and beat her in response. :mad:
Those commercials make me feel guilty. I have two dogs and even though I give them both a good home, I doubt I could take care of three dogs adequately. And I don’t want to turn into one of those crazy hoarder people. So I guess two mutts is my limit. I wish I could take more.
Yay! A new commercial shows that Echo did indeed get a new home and is running around, trying to play with the cat, running around, smiling a lot and running around. Happy, happy dog!
