Good dog!

In a pair of public service announcements from boutique agency Nigel & Co., a Husky and a Malamute find a way to delicately (and adorably) jump into the controversial issue of face masks.

It helps that the work, for a small-batch brand called Organic Doggie Treats, leans into a groovy California vibe, complete with sun-dappled beach backdrop and soothing voiceover. (Humans speak for the pooches, with some of the dialogue harkening back to the hippy-dippy classic Saturday Night Live skit, “Deep Thoughts.”)

And while his delivery is full-on Zen, that “talking” Malamute takes a hard line on masks. After being muzzled, leashed and collared all his life, he doesn’t want to listen to you whine about wearing a mask. In fact, he’s thrilled to see you get a taste of your own medicine. 

“Am I secretly happy?” he asks. “No, not secretly.”

The PSA campaign isn’t the only canine-centric work that launched this week. From St. Louis-based musician and ad man Norty Cohen comes “Rock and Roll Over,” a quarantine project to benefit animal shelters. 

Cohen, CEO and founder of indie agency Moosylvania, brought together 17 singer-songwriters from Nashville who’d been sidelined by the pandemic. 

“We love dogs, music and helping people,” Cohen says on the Just Furr Fun website. “When the challenges of 2020 surfaced, we decided to combine these three passions in an effort to bring a smile to people’s faces.”

Writing, recording and producing remotely during lockdown, the artists created 17 original songs about the specific breeds of their four-legged friends, from beagles and bulldogs to Great Danes and greyhounds. The track, “Little Lion,” is about two beloved Shih Tzus named Fukudome and Priti, and “King of the Pack” is an ode to rescued shepherd-border collie mixes Angel and Boots. Garden-variety mutts are included, too.

Fans can download the songs or the whole album, free with a donation to an animal shelter of their choice. Cohen and his collaborators are encouraging people to share the music, along with videos of their own pets with the hashtags #rockandrollover and #justfurrfun.

As an added value for shelter partners, the creators are making PSAs using their song, “Someday the Mutts Will Rule the World,” and showcasing the animals available for adoption at those venues.

CREDITS:

Client/Brand: Organic Doggie Treats
Writer: Brian Dunaway
CD/Director/Editor/DOP: Kiran Koshy
Agency: Nigel & Co.
Production Co.: Slash Dynamic LA
VO: Brian Dunaway (The Malamute); Wade Sturdivant (The Husky)
Colorist: Charles Gerstner
Music + Mix: Breed Music + Sound, Dallas