It appears not everyone is happy with Budweiser’s “Lost Dog” Super Bowl commercial. The Center for Biological Diversity has started a petition urging Anheuser-Busch CEO Thomas W. Santel to pull the spot because it’s “demonizing an endangered species” — namely, the wolf.
In the commercial, a Labrador makes a perilous journey to his home — a farm that was featured in “Puppy Love” and “Brotherhood” Budweiser Super Bowl spots. But when the puppy gets close to home, a wolf blocks his path. Fortunately, the dog is saved by the farm’s Clydesdales, who force the predator to flee.
Of the 61 commercials that ran during Super Bowl XLIX, “Lost Dog” was rated the best by USA Today’s Ad Meter, which surveyed almost 7,000 consumers.
“Purposefully demonizing an animal that is part of America’s natural heritage is no way to sell beer,” the petition reads. “But that hasn’t stopped Budweiser from crafting a commercial for this year’s Super Bowl that intentionally drums up anti-wolf sentiment to try and capitalize on our culture’s outsized fear of wolf attacks.”
The full petition, which has almost 30,000 signatures to date, is posted on The Petition Site.
