Tasteless.

“Our approach was humorous, and some people didn’t see it that way. There were clearly some people offended by it.” – Geoff Shaffer, global marketing director at Pearl Izumi.

Mr. Shaffer doesn’t articulate the humor in depicting what appears to be a dead dog, and I wish he had so I could understand what I’m missing. I see a dog dying or already dead from being overworked on a trail. I see a runner attempting to revive his pet. I see the text, “Run Longer,” which seems to indicate that the runner ran for so long (thanks so his awesome sneakers!) that his dog suffered as a result. What I don’t see is humor. Thinking about how I could potentially cause suffering to my pets does not make me laugh. Readers, do you find this ad funny?

The advertisement has since been pulled from the Canadian magazine in which it ran, and Pearl Izumi followed it up with a pathetic “apology” issued on its Facebook page.  But now that the company has its moment in the spotlight, it really ought to make some sort of statement about proper exercising with one’s pet. But I doubt they will – so here are some links for you to read if you are concerned about exercising (and specifically running) with your dog:

• Don’t Run Your Dog Into The Ground! Pet Dangers and Running With Your Dog
• Jogging and other Aerobic Exercising with Dogs
• Animal Health and Fitness: The Dangers of Pet Dehydration
• Dead in Minutes: Dogs and Heatstroke

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/running-shoemaker-doghouse-after-dead-dog-ad-8C11080335