Xero Pulls Ad Showing Dyed Dog, Makes Animal-Friendly Pledge After PETA Appeal

Company Makes Kind and Business-Savvy Decision to Ban Ads That Are Harmful to Animals

For Immediate Release:
February 4, 2019

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

After hearing from PETA, Xero—a global company with offices in Denver—pulled a recent advertisement featuring a dog who’d been dyed purple. The company, which makes accounting software for small businesses, also pledged not to show an animal with dyed fur again and committed to not using animals in future ads—with the exception of animal companions of its small-business clients. In thanks, PETA sent Xero executives a box of delicious dog-shaped vegan chocolates.

“Dogs aren’t objects, and animals aren’t actors,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA commends Xero for keeping in step with the growing public sentiment against using living beings as props, and we urge other companies to follow suit.”

In its letter to Xero, PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—points out that showing dogs with dyed fur promotes a practice that can be very dangerous for these animals and sends the message that it’s acceptable to use them for human entertainment. Store-bought hair dyes intended for human use contain chemicals that can irritate and burn dogs’ skin and eyes or make them sick if ingested. Last year, a dog named Violet nearly died after her owner used human hair dye on her. Violet was covered with chemical burns, her skin fell off in sheets, and her eyes swelled shut.

Xero joins a growing list of companies—including Ogilvy, McCann, BBDO, The Martin Agency, DDB, Leo Burnett, Grey Group, Dieste, Saatchi & Saatchi, TBWA, and Goodby, Silverstein & Partners—that have pledged not to use exotic animals in advertisements.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.