When veterinarians found a tumor on Scout’s heart in 2019, WeatherTech founder David MacNeil knew there was no chance he was letting his dog go. Instead, Wisconsin-based WMTV reports, he took his golden retriever to the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine to begin chemotherapy and radiation treatments. While according to NBC, Scout had a mere 1% chance of survival, his tumor had shrunk by almost 80% after just a month of treatment, and today Scout is essentially cancer-free, reports WMTV.
Now the Chicago Tribune reports MacNeil is shelling out more than $5 million to produce a Super Bowl spot, “Lucky Dog,” to thank the vets who saved his dog, and encourage people to donate to the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine.
This isn’t Scout’s first time in a Super Bowl commercial — as the unofficial WeatherTech “spokescanine” it is actually his fourth ad — but it is the first appearance for the Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, the school’s dean, Mark Markel, told The Washington Post.
“My original reaction was, ‘No way,’” Markel told the Post. “This is very unusual for a company to create a Super Bowl commercial to benefit a school and not to sell its own products.”
But the ad has already been released, and it really does just focus on the groundbreaking research being done by the university’s veterinarians, which the Chicago Tribune reports includes tomotherapy. This therapy was not only used to treat Scout, but to treat human patients who are also fighting cancer.
The “Lucky Dog” ad includes a WeatherTech-sponsored link for viewers to donate to the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, saying that 100% of all funds donated will go to the school.
MacNeil told NBC he hopes the ad “has a positive impact on cancer for animals and people, all over the world.”