I can’t quite believe that it was 30 years ago that I penned the words – A dog is for life not just for Christmas. At the time I had little idea that it would capture the public’s attention and become such a memorable slogan. I am delighted that the slogan’s message has been heeded as the number of dogs bought as gifts has reduced from 20% in 1978 to just 1.8% this year. However I’m not ready to retire the slogan just yet. 1.8% doesn’t sound much as a percentage but this could be as many as 131,400 dogs which is still far too many.

The old adage that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery seems to ring true with this slogan as I’ve been alerted to some amusing parodies over the years. Although our legal beagles are always straight on the phone to ensure our registered trademark is protected, I thought I’d share a selection of my favourites including one from the past few weeks:

Read more...