It has everything a journalist could want: sex with animals, runaway
fathers, life-saving operations, humour - even a MORI survey. But still
the National Canine Defence League’s neutering campaign, which
complements its UK-wide ‘Scooby Don’t’ advertising splurge, failed to
raise a whimper in the press.
Selena Makepeace, NCDL head of PR, who tells me that just one
photographer graced the photo-shoot for Diggery - the Great Dane star of
the ads - believes males squeamishness lies behind the silence.
‘When you mention castration to men they get very uncomfortable: I have
seen male journalists positively flinch and cross their legs. Normally,
our campaigns get very good national and regional coverage, whereas no
one wants to touch this one. I can’t believe it’s coincidental.’
Makepeace may not be barking up the wrong tree, however. Much as we
would like to think that the gentlemen of the press base their news
judgement on firmer foundations, it seems that the only chap who didn’t
balk at the story had already had a certain op himself.
