Animal Rights Activists Are FURIOUS Over GoDaddy Commercial

GoDaddy’s Super Bowl Commercials are frequently the target of criticism, mostly for their use of sexual innuendo. This year’s commercial has already inspired anger, but from a different direction than usual.

Animal rights activists and pet lovers alike are livid at GoDaddy for their “Journey Home” spot, which parodies Budweiser’s series of “Lost Dog” commercials. The ad features a lost puppy walking over a bridge, through the rainy woods and across railroad tracks, trying to make his way home. When he arrives, his owner remarks: “I’m so glad you made it home!…because I just sold you on this website I made with GoDaddy.”

She then puts the poor, whimpering pup in a van driven by Danica Patrick, and says “Ship him out!” The anger stems primarily from the connotation that the puppy has been sold to an online dealer, where he, according to a petition on Change.org, “could be sold to someone who runs a fighting ring, someone who abuses animals, or to someone who cannot adequately care for the animal.” The operation of these dealers and puppy mills is seen as distracting from the millions of dogs in shelters around the U.S.

The Change.org petition already has over 30,000 signatures asking GoDaddy to pull its commercial.

Animal lovers have not been hesitant to express their anger at GoDaddy.