I Could Be Great

Iain and I spent Valentine's Day evening watching the Westminster Dog Show, because nerdz. One of the show's primary sponsors is Purina, and their new advert for Purina Pro Plan ran like 97 million times during the show, and I blubbed my face off every time. It's just such a sweet and moving homage to the many ways dogs can and do enrich humans' lives.

I've since gotten a few emails about the advert, so here it is (with my thanks to everyone who emailed):


Video Description: A series of video clips of dogs set to Tony Rogers' song "Great."

The lyrics used in the advert are: To a point I was good / Tried to do stuff that I should / Tried to do what you said / Tried to sleep in my own bed / But my bones wouldn't rest / 'Til I put me to my test / And I remembered what you said / I could be great / So so great...

The clips are, in order (having made a good-faith effort with breed identification, I dearly hope this thread does not turn into a pedantic nitpicking session about my description): A brown shepherd-mix wagging its tail and grinning; a black and white Boston Terrier sitting on a couch like people; a black and white Chihuahua walking across the back of a couch; a grey and cream Husky (or maybe Malamute) puppy laying half in a water bowl; a tan and silver Yorkie perking up its ears; a red Shiba Inu playing with a ball; a white Maltese puppy in a pink bed; a fawn and white English Bulldog sleeping on its back; a golden-mix pawing at a Frisbee (I think) on a hardwood floor; another Yorkie cuddling up for a nap; a black and tan Dachshund-mix looking out a window; a black Scottish terrier retrieving a ball from the water; a tan terrier-mix leaping through the snow; a black and white and silver Australian Shepherd running in the grass; a lab-mix long-distance diving at a competition; a black and white Border Collie catching a Frisbee; a red and white terrier-mix leaping a fence; a white Labradoodle play-bows in the grass; a Vizsla puppy runs with floppy ears; a brown and white English Bulldog on a surfboard; a black shepherd-mix in a wheelchair goes for a walk; a black Newfoundland rescue dog jumps out of a helicopter into the ocean; a black and tan German Shepherd search and rescue dog walks through building wreckage; a yellow Lab search and rescue dog digs through snow; a white Silken Windhound therapy dog stands calmly being pet by an older woman; a Yorkie lies beside a man in a hospital or hospice bed; a black Lab guide dog walks with its person down the street; a yellow Lab high-fives its owner in an agility competition; a Husky welcomes home a servicemember by enthusiastically licking his face. Text onscreen: Inside every good dog is a great dog.

[Note: Even though this is an advert for a specific dog food, posting the ad is not an endorsement of Purina, and, in fact, I do not use Purina dog food. Please note that discussions of Purina's corporate practices and advocacy for specific pet diets, while worthy discussions, are off-topic for this thread.]