However, it will be during an advertisement for Skechers, and the part of town that makes it on camera? Tucson Greyhound Park, and animal rights activists aren’t happy:

In the spot, the tiny dog — bedecked in Skechers new GOrun shoes — races a pack of greyhounds. But that, too, is raising eyebrows from an animal rights group Grey2K USA, which is petitioning to ax the ad. It claims that the greyhounds were mistreated and kept in tiny cages at Tucson Greyhound Park.

“Skechers using Tucson Greyhound Park as the backdrop for an ad is akin to Hertz calling back O.J. Simpson as a spokesperson,” says Christine Dorchak, president of Grey2K.

But Tom Taylor, CEO of the track, says the cages are among the largest in the country. “Animal activists would like the cages to be 12 feet by 12 feet, with couches and TVs.”

The American Humane Society says no animals were harmed in the making of the ad. Armato says Grey2K’s complaints are unrelated to the purpose of the ad. The spot does not glamorize dog racing, he says. “It is simply a metaphor for a remarkable, underdog achievement.”

This article appears in Jan 5-11, 2012.

The editor of the Tucson Weekly. I have no idea how I got here.

7 replies on “Tucson Will Be Seen During the Super Bowl”

  1. Ok, no… showing a greyhound racetrack isn’t *quite* the same thing as using a man who sawed his wife’s head off with a butcher knife…

  2. Damn activists if the animals aren’t treated like kings you get upset, or if their in multimillion dollar advertisements you get up set well get the f*** over it the animals were treated just fine, no corporation would risk that much money only to be busted for animal cruelty.

  3. Typical reaction from small-minded individuals and big business. Greyhound racing is archaic and cruel. Time to shut the place down and stop buying Skechers.

  5. Greyhound racing is archaic and should be phased out. We need humane gambling situations, like hen egg-laying contests or greyhound treat-eating contests.

  6. Don’t blame the Greyhound Park because it was Sketchers who did the advertisement. Tucson Greyhound Park is a nice family event. I’ve seen the facilities at Greyhound Park and they are not ‘tiny’ they are nice sized and everyone is friendly. If you want to blame someone for the animal cruelty blame Sketchers for making a dog wear shoes. OR even better sue the rich people who dress their dogs and dye their fur to make them look like Easter Eggs.

  7. It is unconscionable that Skechers would shoot an ad at this notorious dog track where hundreds of dogs live lives of confinement and die on the track. 
     
    At Tucson Greyhound Park, greyhounds are kept confined in small cages which are barely large enough for them to stand up or turn around.  They are fed raw 4-D meat, the meat of downed, diseased, disabled or dead livestock.  This was documented in a recent video investigation.
     
    While racing, greyhounds face the risk of serious injury. According to state records, between January 2007 and November 2009, nearly 1,000 greyhound injuries were reported at Arizona racetracks. The most common injury was a broken leg, and other reported injuries included fractures, sprains, dislocations, muscle tears and strains, lacerations, a cracked skull, broken backs, heat stroke, puncture wounds and paralysis. To learn more, please see our full report and video at http://www.grey2kusa.org.

    Val Wolf, Board Member GREY2K USA

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