By Justin Fenton
Enquirer Staff Writer

Joyce J. Fletcher, of Withamsville, has 13 Boston terriers and is the corresponding secretary for the Boston Terrier Club of America. Enquirer photos by MEGGAN BOOKER

Advertising isn't going to the dogs - not all of them at least. Lately, it's been going specifically to the Boston terriers.

It's nearly impossible to turn on the TV and not see one of the small, lively black and white pups trotting around in ads for McDonald's, Zyrtec allergy medication, MasterCard, Frontline flea and tick control, Disney, Geico Insurance and Coca Cola, among others.

Perhaps most memorable are MasterCard's series of spots involving a lost dog named Badger making a cross-country trip back to his family. And in the Zyrtec spots, a frustrated pooch breaks away from his sniffling owner during a walk in the park.

Selena Smith, director of Heyman Talent Agency in Oakley, said using the terriers is consistent with the more simple and relatable images now popular in commercials and other ads.

"There's a definite trend in advertising toward the 'Everyman,' normal middle-American look," Smith said. "The terriers are not the most attractive animal in the world, but there's something endearing about them."

Boston terriers also are as American as dog breeds get, one of the few to originate in the United States. Dubbed "American Gentlemen" among dogs for their gentle disposition, they were bred in Boston and recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1893.

Of the various dog breeds to pop up in advertising and films in recent years, each had definitive characteristics that gave it commercial appeal: Chihuahuas' tiny size, Saint Bernards' huge size, Dalmatians' spots.

Boston terriers are just, well, cute. Smith said they're also personable and trainable, which makes them easy to use in producing magazine and television spots.

"There may be 20 people on the set, so they have to be used to a lot of the hubbub," she said.

Agency here represents 4

In Cincinnati, the Heyman agency represents four Boston terriers, which have been featured in various catalogs and ads. Smith said calls for dogs in general have been up so much in the past six weeks that Heyman will add an animal dimension to its Web site in addition to its clientele of men, women, boys, girls and babies.

Why are dogs in general so popular in ads? It's a fad, says Smith.

"Everybody copies everybody else," she says. "Everybody goes with a campaign that works. Advertising is expensive. If they see a trend, they go with it."

The increase in exposure may be a boon for the breed. Registration of Boston terriers hit a 14-year low of 14,272 last year, according to AKC figures, after peaking at 19,992 in 2000. But from December to April, terrier registration was up 32 percent over the same period last year, and local owners are reporting increased interest.

Beverly Staley, a Boston terrier breeder and enthusiast, said she's received an influx of calls from prospective owners coinciding with the advertisements.

"I don't know if it's due to TV advertising or what, but we've gotten a lot more calls for the Bostons lately," said Staley, an Independence resident who heads the Boston Terrier Club of Greater Cincinnati with her husband. "I think it's their personality - they're a lively, active little dog."

She estimates calls have increased from four to five a week three months ago to 10 to 12 a week since the national ads have begun. She got five calls in one day last week. Though prices vary, Staley said Bostons bred as pets run $700-$800, while show dogs cost $1,200.

Over-saturation may detract

While the ads may be beneficial to the breed, Chris Allen, a marketing professor at the University of Cincinnati, said oversaturation may have an adverse effect for the companies that use the ads.

"When I see a Clydesdale on the TV screen, I know it's a Budweiser ad," Allen said. "When I see a Boston terrier, it could be anyone's ad. It's not helping the audience remember the ad and remember the brand."

Animal welfare officials also worry that ads could cause consumers to rush out and buy the pups, only to discard them. When Disney's remake of 101 Dalmatians was released in 1996, animal shelters including the Cincinnati Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals filled with the spotted dogs after owners realized they couldn't care for such high-maintenance pets.

"After that movie peaked, people found out that Dalmatians were a dog that required a lot of exercise and outdoor activity," said Andy Mahlman, the Cincinnati SPCA's operations manager. "Some of them felt it was a bit much and returned them to shelters."

Joyce Fletcher of Withamsville, who owns 13 terriers, sold a dog featured in a 1999 Tide/Downy ad for Procter & Gamble Co. She said she is careful whom she sells to because the males can be aggressive.

The attention "is good and bad. It can increase the sales, but a Boston terrier is not just for anybody," said Fletcher.

E-mail jfenton@enquirer.com