Dogs THE Day OF

Huskies join auto dealership owner Debbie Campbell in television spots

TPittsburgh Post-Gazette wo beautiful blue-eyed Siberian huskies sit regally in shiny new cars, setting the television commercials of Day Automotive apart from the dogless ads of other car dealerships.

The dogs’ thick, fluffy coats are perfectly groomed. They are enviably wellbehaved, looking directly into the camera as Debbie Numrich Campbell promises, “We’ll not only make your day, we’ll make your deal!”

They are not professional canine actors. They are Mrs. Campbell’s pets.

The commercials are usually shot indoors in a dealership showroom. But in mid-April, cast and crew decide to shoot outdoors on a sunny spring day at Squaw Valley Park in O’Hara.

As the owner of the Day Automotive Group, Mrs. Campbell could choose any car. On this day, she pulls into the park in a bright yellow Chevrolet Camaro. Members of the crew from 321Blink and RJW Media smile as a black-and-white nose pokes out of a rear window. That’s Marco, who jumps out of the car on leash with Mrs. Campbell. Millie is close behind.

The huskies wag their long furry tails as they survey action in the park — people walking dogs and pushing babies in strollers. They seem to find the background activity much more interesting than shooting a TV commercial.

Mrs. Campbell sits down on a stone wall in front of a fishing pond. Her soft command to “sit” gets an instant response from Millie, who complies and looks expectantly at the man with the camera. But Marco is still looking at the other dogs.

Then he begins vocalizing. He isn’t barking or howling; he’s making the distinctive sound that lovers of Siberian huskies call “singing.”

“He never does that at home,” Mrs. Campbell says with a chuckle. “Marco!”

He responds to his name, making eye contact with his mistress as he continues to sing.

“Marco!” says Tim McLaughlin, 321Blink’s president and supervisor of the shoot. “Look how good Millie is!”

Marco looks at Mr. McLaughlin as Mrs. Campbell says: “At Day Automotive, we really do make car buying quick, easy and fun.” Then she does it again, and again, with the polished precision of someone who has been making commercials for seven years.

Millie, 7, is also calm, cool and professional. She has been making commercials since she was a puppy. Marco, whose first birthday was May 11, is not as polished. He alternates between following Millie’s lead and jiggling his leash as he watches the park activity.

Television viewers won’t see those shots. They will see later ones in which Marco hits his spots and doesn’t speak (or sing). The crew and Mrs. Campbell are calm and patient throughout the one-hour shoot. There are no harsh words or corrections and no food treats or bribes. Crew members often pet Millie and Marco, and Marco licks the faces of his admirers.

“Marco says.

When she watches the footage later, she says, “Oh, that’s perfect! They are so good!”

For years, Maxwell was the black-andwhite husky in the Day Automotive commercials. Despite valiant veterinary efforts, he died May 10, 2016, of cancer. He was only 4 years old.

Somewhat eerily, Marco was born the next day. Mrs. Campbell named him for Marco Island, Fla., the site of her 2015 wedding to Jim Campbell. They live in Fox Chapel.

She is a lifelong dog lover, having grown up with Irish setters, an Airedale and a Chihuahua. Her father, William E. Numrich, bought his first auto dealership in the late 1970s. Before he died in 2010 and made her the owner, Day Automotive had is a kisser,” Mrs. Campbell