Dog Owner Spends Millions on Super Bowl Ad to Thank Vet School for Saving Pet's Life
David MacNeil was so grateful to University of Wisconsin-Madison’s veterinary school for saving his dog Scout’s life that he’s thanking them in the biggest way possible — with a Super Bowl ad!
According to the Wisconsin State Journal, MacNeil’s company WeatherTech paid $6 million for the 30-second commercial, which features the founder’s 7-year-old dog Scout at the UW-Madison’s School of Veterinary Medicine. The ad will reportedly air during the second quarter of Sunday’s game.
This isn’t Scout’s first time on the big screen — he was also featured in a WeatherTech ad during last year’s Super Bowl.
“Hi, I’m Scout and I’m a lucky dog,” this year’s ad begins, featuring “voiceover” from the adorable canine. “And it’s not just because I found a cool stick, or because I was in the WeatherTech commercial on the big game last year. It’s that I’m a cancer survivor, had a tumor on my heart and only a one percent chance of survival.”
According to a statement from the university, MacNeil had lost three previous dogs to cancer when an ultrasound found a tumor on Scout’s heart last summer. MacNeil and Scout went to UW Veterinary Care, where the dog was able to receive treatment and recover from the cancer. Today, his heart tumor “has all but disappeared,” the statement said.
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In the commercial, Scout can be seen playing on a beach before walking down the halls of the veterinary school alongside some of the real-life pet health experts who helped save his life. At the end of the spot, viewers are encouraged to donate to the school’s cancer research efforts at weathertech.com/donate.
“Their research has the potential to save millions of pets’ lives,” the voiceover says. “Pets make a difference in your life. You can make a difference in theirs.”
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“We wanted this year’s Super Bowl effort to not only raise awareness, but also financial support for the incredible research and innovative treatments happening at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, where Scout is still a patient,” MacNeil said in the statement.
He continued: “We wanted to use the biggest stage possible to highlight Scout’s story and these incredible breakthroughs, which are not just limited to helping dogs and pets. This research will help advance cancer treatments for humans as well, so there’s the potential to save millions of lives of all species.”
