Neighbourhood watch for puppies? In print it sounds amusing, in reality its anything but. From the thumbnail, the last image actually looked like an open goal with a soccer ball waiting to be kicked.

It’s strange how animal cruelty in humour has pervaded popular culture: we all laughed at the “Your daughter kicked my dog” clip, and think the “kick the cat” is an amusing dance routine. But somehow, through the laughter, many of us missed that this is a continuing issue.

An entire field of study within the legal profession has recently emerged, known as Animal Law, which considers the rights of animals, and indeed, who will protect those rights. It seems that whilst pets are popularised through films and entertainment as a part of the family, the reality is often starkly different. Furthermore, as defenceless creatures, if their owners aren’t treating them in a way that they deserve, who will?

Pets are often bought as companions to the lonely, but too often, that same loneliness can turn companionship to violence. This ad highlights this too well: the isolation of the pup, the foetal, vulnerable pose. I find that animal cruelty ads often strike a similar chord to child abuse campaigns – to me, both subjects are unnecessary and unprotected victims.

My only complaint would be the copy – it’s generic, un-touching and really unnecessary. “Stop the abuse.” Seriously? Well now that I’ve read that, I want to do something. The simple imagery of these ads are effective, dogs are not mops, soccer balls or concrete posts. It is sad that we need fancy advertising and Photoshop to protect animals. But if the Animal Anti-Cruelty League actually want to “stop the abuse,” something a little more inspiring, and a little less like jargon, might just be required.

Advertising Agency: Lowe Bull, Cape Town, South Africa
Creative Director: Kirk Gainsford
Art Directors: Cameron Watson, Tariq Bailey
Copywriter: Aaron Harris
Photographer: Bryan Traylor
Published: November 2008

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