WATCH: 'Lost Dog' Super Bowl Ad Gives Budweiser Another Viral Hit
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Everybody, pack it in. Budweiser has won the Super Bowl.
Again.
The suds giant has released its commercial for Sunday's big game -- a sequel to last year's viral "Puppy Love" -- and already it's a big, big hit. This one is titled "Lost Dog" and tugs at the heartstrings as much if not more with Bud's famous Clydesdales once again coming to aid the pup in distress.
Bonus points for Sleeping At Last's wistful cover of "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)," originally performed by the Proclaimers.
Advertisers have reportedly been plunking down near $4.5 million for 30 seconds of airtime during Super Bowl XLIX between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks.
And as CBS2's Dave Carlin reported, this year as in other years, there was an ad that was accused of going too far.
This year the honor goes to an ad that starts off warm and fuzzy before taking a turn.
It shows a puppy enduring hardships and overcoming obstacles to get home, before being met with what some called a cruel twist of fate.
"When she says 'because I sold you. I sold you online,' that comes up to the line," Kevin Wolff said.
The uproar on social media was immediate. Some dog lovers claim they don't like the ad because they believe it makes light of puppy mills and inhumane breedings.
Thousands blasted the ad as 'horrible,' 'terrible,' and 'disgusting.
"If you can buy a puppy online and have it shipped to you the next day it's likely you're supporting inhumane breeding," the SPCA said.
GoDaddy offered a swift response and announced that they were pulling the ad from the Super Bowl.
"We are pulling the ad from the Super Bowl," they announced, "Rest assured, Buddy came to us from a reputable and loving breeder in California."
Ad experts say GoDaddy may have been trying to grab publicity ahead of the game.
"This is the annual game before the game," Nat Ives explained.
Ives is the Deputy Managing Editor at Advertising Age magazine.
"GoDaddy has historically been edgy," he said, "We're trying to figure out whether this was done intentionally. GoDaddy today says, 'no.'"
Whether the controversy was planned or not, the most talked about Super Bowl spot right now is the one that won't run.
'Buddy' the dog in the ad was adopted by a GoDaddy employee.