McDonald's Pulls 'Risky' Pit Bull Ad (VIDEO)
McDonald's pit bull ad was pulled after animal owners were outraged by the commercial, which claimed eating a Chicken McBite was safer than petting the notoriously dangerous breed of dog.
The ad was pulled Friday, after just a few days on the airwaves of Kansas City area radio stations, according to reports.
McDonald's apologized for the ad on its social media sites, according to the AP. It also set up a toll free number with a recorded apology message.
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The ad sparked a Facebook petition from one angry resident in Sacramento, Calif.
According to AP, critics of the ad want McDonald's to donate to pit bull causes or use the animal in an upcoming ad.
It is unclear if the fast food giant will do any of those suggestions.
The corporate offices are reiterating the apology efforts already made.
"The ad was insensitive in its mention of pit bulls. We apologize. As soon as we learned of it, we tracked the source and had the local markets pull the ad immediately. We'll do a better job next time. It's never our intent to offend anyone with how we communicate news about McDonald's," company spokesman Ashlee Yingling said Monday, quoting from the apology.
The Sacramento woman who started the online petition wasn't thrilled about the apologies, though.
"I found it extremely offensive and reckless," said Rachele Lizarraga of Sacramento. "Why would you try to promote the safety of food?"
Lizarraga started the Facebook page "Pit Bulls Against McDonald's," which had nearly 10,000 "likes."
Many of the people that oppose the ad said an apology won't go far enough, according to reports.
Lizarraga said the apology and awareness would be enough.
"We are just asking them to promote positive pit bull imagery. We are not asking for donations. I don't think that should be a demand," Lizarraga said.
"It was stupid marketing, playing into the media hysteria about pit bulls," she added.
Hear the commercial in question by clicking below.
