A tiny dog from a tiny town about an hour’s drive north of Kitchener is gaining fame after being featured in a commercial that ran nationally over the weekend during the Super Bowl.
Hiccup, who lives with his owners Angela Ewtushik and Rick Rauwerda in Harriston, Ont., was in a 30-second spot for ClearScore, a Canadian credit score company.
In the commercial, Hiccup’s “owner” can be seen looking for ways to cut back on spending with the dog’s help.
While Ewtushik was there during the filming of the commercial, she told Global News there were still surprises when she finally got to see it.
“I had an idea of how it would go based on the plot of the commercial, but you never know what is actually going to make the final cut after editing,” she explained, noting that she was very curious to see what voice would be paired with her pooch.
“I think the more I watch it, the more I like it. I’m not sure what kind of voice I would have picked if it was my choice, but I think they made the right decision.”
This is not Hiccup’s first rodeo though as he has appeared in a number of commercials already, including spots for CIBC, RBC and Petsmart.
“Hiccup’s essentially become the complete package, and he has the looks as well,” Ewtushik said.
“He’s got that Benji kind of look that people like.”
Ewtushik has a number of other dogs and while Hiccup has done the bulk of the commercials, she has now done 12 after just three years in the biz.
She says that not every dog has the right mix of training and personality to handle the bright lights of show business.
“You can have a dog that does all the tricks and what it’s asked for at home perfectly, and when you arrive on set and there are lots of people, there are lots of lights, cameras, noises,” she said while also noting that the dogs will have to appear with strangers and complete the same tasks repeatedly.
“They do a lot of filming, a lot of takes, in order to make sure they’ve got enough film work to do the editing. So it’s a very consuming day, both mentally and physically, for both all the people involved as well as the dog.
“Hiccup, I guess that’s been his forte. He loves everybody”
Hiccup, who is now 12 years old, travelled a long way to join Ewtushik and Rauwerda, who own a kennel in Harriston called R&R Pet Paradise.
“We got him from a rescue out in Manitoba,” she said.“We saw a picture of him on Facebook. We were sent some video and then we found a friend who has a husband who’s a transport truck driver, and he brought him back home to us.”
The couple have 14 dogs in their pack, everything ranging from a Chihuahua to a Newfoundland.
“They range in age from five months to 16-and-a-half years,” the pack leader said.
“And we have quite a few that are now retired. But there’s about, I’d say, eight of those dogs that are still actively competing and doing shows as well and also commercial work.”
Those that are still active take part in Power Paws, a 30-minute show that appears at local fairs and events.
“It’s got everything from Frisbee to high jumping,” Ewtushik said. “We have dogs that count. We have dogs that skip. We have dogs that play basketball. We have racing. So it’s the whole package.”