You see one of these pugs (pictured above) and you might think, aww, how cute. A little sad-looking maybe, but very expressive. Perfect for any number of commercials, right? Nothing like a cute kid or lovable-looking pet to command attention to your ad. 

But according to People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals, using pugs and other breeds with pushed in snouts is cruel and should be avoided. 

And last week, in one of its blogs, PETA gave a shoutout to Boston-based Hill Holliday for committing not to use such breeds in its ads going forward.  

This was news to me -- but PETA asserts that all such breeds are breathing-impaired due to their narrow nostrils, crowded nose and throat and narrow windpipes. And they’re bred to be that way because humans think they’re cute. 

“Using pugs, bulldogs, and other flat-faced dog breeds in advertisements drives the demand for dogs purposely bred to have life-threatening deformities,” the group states.  

HH is just the latest ad agency to make the commitment not to use such breeds in commercials. According to PETA, others include Wieden + Kennedy, Wunderman Thompson, Ogilvy, Leo Burnett Chicago, RPA, and Sanders\Wingo. The Ad Council has made a similar commitment.