UPDATE: GoDaddy has responded to the backlash on its website, announcing they will pull the controversial ad and will be airing a different commercial during the Super Bowl.
"This morning we previewed GoDaddy's Super Bowl spot on a popular talk show, and shortly after a controversy started to swirl about Buddy, our puppy, being sold online. The responses were emotional and direct. Many people urged us not to run the ad… We are pulling the ad from the Super Bowl. You'll still see us in the Big Game this year, and we hope it makes you laugh. Finally, rest assured, Buddy came to us from a reputable and loving breeder in California. He's now part of the GoDaddy family as our Chief Companion Officer and he lives permanently with one of our longtime employees."
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Hey, companies. Mock humans all you want (we're really asking for it), but leave animals alone. Jerks.
GoDaddy.com, aka the company that we think just has Danica Patrick on retainer, has released a Super Bowl ad that we guess is supposed to poke fun at Budweiser's precious, heartwarming, tear-jerking puppy commercials. Instead of people laughing at it, however, people are really pissed off.
The commercial (above), features a puppy falling off the back of a truck and making a long, arduous journey back home. Once the owners see him return, they are giddy with relief…because they just sold him online using a GoDaddy powered website.
Putting aside the unfunny, cruel content, the commercial makes light of Internet puppy mills. And not only are people voicing their outrage against GoDaddy on all forms of social media, but now there is a petition on Change.org to pull the ad.
"Whether or not this was meant to be satirical, it's offensive. Essentially, Go Daddy is encouraging private breeding/puppy mills while shelter animals wait patiently for their forever homes or worse - to be euthanized. They are also encouraging purchasing an animal online; the animal could be sold to someone who runs a fighting ring, someone who abuses animals, or to someone who cannot adequately care for the animal. Animal rights are no laughing matter and to portray them as such is cruel and irresponsible."
GoDaddy responded to one complaint on Twitter, saying they made a PSA to show their support for pet adoptions:
They also insisted to folks voicing their intense displeasure online that they adopted Buddy after filming the commercial and he's "happy as can be."
E! News has reached out to GoDaddy for comment regarding the backlash.
Adopt, don't shop! Go to PetFinder.com to find a shelter near you and give an animal a forever home!
(Originally published on Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 11:54 AM PST)