“We want people to think of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show as a celebration of the dogs in our lives,” said David Frei, the club’s director of communications and the host of the show for over two decades.
“Show me an ad with a dog with a smile; don’t try to shame me,” Mr. Frei told The Associated Press. The kennel club had expressed its concerns to Pedigree, he said, adding, “We told them that, and they ignored us.”
Melissa Martellotti, a brand communications manager for Mars Petcare US, which makes the Pedigree brand, said that Westminster had initiated the split and that dog show officials told the pet food company that its decision involved concerns about the ad campaign.
“They’ve shared with us, when we parted ways, that they felt that our advertising was focused too much on the cause of adoption and that wasn’t really a shared vision,” Ms. Martellotti said. The kennel club is “focused on the purebred mission,” she added.
Pedigree Foundation has traditionally kicked off its campaigns around the time of the Westminster Dog Show (which takes place this year on February 13 and 14). Over the years, Pedigree has raised over $7 million to help shelter dogs, and while it is no longer associated with the dog show, Pedigree remains committed to this cause.
From now until February 14 at 11pm ET, Pedigree is holding its own "Every Dog, Dog Show" on Facebook. For every person who uploads a photo of their four-legged friend or tells their dog's story on Pedigree's Facebook page, Pedigree will donate a bowl of food, up to 500,000 bowls.
Show your support of the Pedigree Every Dog, Dog Show because EVERY dog deserves a forever home.
Source: NYTimes.com and ChicagoNow.com
Image via www.facebook.com/Pedigree
Good for Pedigree! There's room in this world for both shelter pets and pedigreed pets. If the Westminster Dog Show isn't big enough to see that and put the welfare of all animals first, it's their loss!
ReplyDeleteMany purebred dog owners are also involved in breed rescue. I think Westminster was incredibly short-sighted.
DeleteThis may be a lack of experience on m part, but I'd be exceedingly surprised if Pedigree or Purina were on many of Westminster's dogs' menus.
ReplyDeleteI'm very, very glad that Pedigree is donating food, though.
Jen - I think your right about that. I doubt show dogs are fed either Pedigree or Purina, but I'm sure the TV audience is mostly "average" dog owners.
DeleteNot everyone who watches a dog show can own a show dog. By promoting rescue dogs, those dogs have a chance of getting a home too. I think both organizations should have compromised; some ads promoting "happy pedigreed dogs" and some ads promoting "rescue dogs." Everyone would be a winner, especially the dogs. Shame on the humans for being narrow minded.
ReplyDeleteI am sure that most people who watch the dog show don't own show dogs, and if someone wants to own a purebred dog that's their choice. Asking people to consider adoption does not preclude getting a purebred dog - there are many, many purebred rescue groups.
DeleteCongrats to Pedigree for sticking to it's guns. It's nice that Westminster wants to promote pedigreed dogs instead of dogs needing homes, but the reality is that the dogs that win Westminster, or win best in breed at Westminster, would never be affordable for normal folks like us anyways.
ReplyDeleteI once cared for a show dog. His pups go for close to $9000 a pop. So go ahead and appeal to the rich Westminster, you've already made yourself irrelevant.
Pedigree - I'll promote your contest happily.
You're right Mel! The owners of these show dogs receive outrageous amounts of money to breed their dogs, and the average dog owner would never be able to purchase one. I really think that Westminster is missing the boat. Why not promote breed rescue if their goal is to promote pedigreed dogs?
DeleteI've got to be a dissenting voice here. I'm hearing that it's the tenor of the ads, not the fact that they deal with rescue, that have the Westminster folks upset. It's why I run my Pet Adoption Videos that Don't Make Me Want to Kill Myself series, and why the funny Shelter Pet Project ads are so successful. The point -- at least according to the New York Times piece -- is that people don't want to see downer ads. I'm one of them. You can promote adoption in a way that shows how rescue pets bring joy into life. Pedigree apparently wasn't willing.
ReplyDeleteEdie - I hear what you're saying about downer ads. I also hate the guilt-inducing ASPCA and HSUS ads. It is possible to promote adoption without making people feel guilty and the Shelter Pet Project is a perfect example of that.
DeleteWe are one with you on your mission. May more people help and support your cause.
ReplyDeletei'm late to the party, as i so often am, and i'm really sad this time. i wish i had known about this earlier so i could have participated. oh well. it's nice to see what pedigree is doing.
ReplyDelete