Unofficial mascot of WeatherTech, CEO David MacNeil’s dog Scout has gone national to support the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine.
The 30-second commercial “Lucky Dog” will air in the second quarter of the Super Bowl on Sunday, chronicling Scout’s journey through cancer treatment at the university.
The commercial asks viewers to donate directly to the school.
“Scout’s illness devastated us,” MacNeil said. “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 UW School of Veterinary Medicine, where Scout is still a patient.”
Diagnosed with an aggressive blood cell cancer, Scout was given only one month to live. Due to innovative treatment at UW-Madison, Scout’s heart tumor was decreased to almost nothing.
To bring attention to this feat, MacNeil promised to donate 100 percent of the commercial proceeds to the veterinary program, as well as foot the bill for the entire ad.
“We wanted to use the biggest stage possible to highlight Scout’s story and these incredible breakthroughs, which are not just limited to help dogs and pets,” MacNeil said.
The university predicts the money raised from the commercial will be used for a five-year clinical test trial to prevent cancer in dogs, which could lead to the possibility of ground-breaking developments in human medicine as well.
