CEO takes out $6M Super Bowl ad to thank veterinary clinic that saved his dog from cancer
Last summer, David MacNeil's 7-year-old golden retriever Scout was diagnosed with cancer and given a month to live.
On Sunday, Scout was featured in a $6 million Super Bowl ad paid for by MacNeil raising cancer awareness and urging viewers to donate to the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine that saved his life.
$6 million thank you
MacNeil, the CEO of WeatherTech — which was featured in the ad — paid for the spot that shone light on the school’s program and research into fighting cancer in animals, according to NBC News.
“I’m alive thanks to a cutting edge program at the University of Wisconsin’s school of veterinary medicine,” a voice representing Scout said in the ad. “Their research has the potential to save millions of pets lives.”
MacNeil told NBC News his story before the ad aired, explaining that he was willing to do whatever was needed to save Scout after he was given a one percent chance to live after doctors found a tumor on his heart.
“There he was in this little room, standing in the corner,” MacNeil told NBC News. “ ... And he's wagging his tail at me. I'm like, ‘I’m not putting that dog down. There's just absolutely no way.’”
Veterinarians treated Scout with aggressive chemotherapy and radiation the nearly eradicated the tumor, according to NBC News.
Dean touts research as benefiting people too
The program’s dean Mark Markel told NBC News that their veterinary research also contributes to cancer-fighting efforts for humans.
“So much of what’s known globally today about how best to diagnose and treat devastating diseases such as cancer originated in veterinary medicine," Markel said.
Judging from the footage in the ad, Scout appears to now be happy and healthy. And a very good boy.
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