Let me preface this by saying that I love Rachael Ray. Everybody at Dog Living loves Rachael Ray. Well, except maybe Todd, our intern. But he’s a guy so he’s allowed to enjoy more “manly” shows. Anyway, we think Rachael Ray is just adorable and she has a great show. Okay, got that? We like Rachael Ray. But we are rolling our eyes at the latest press release from her “people.” It goes something like this:
“Halloween Pup Precautions from Rachael Ray”
What?! We’re supposed to take advice from Rachael Ray on how to keep our dog safe on Halloween? A vet, we understand. A trainer, we understand. A groomer, pet sitter or behavior specialist, we understand. But Rachael Ray? Come on. It’s what we call the “doggy” bandwagon. It’s when celebrities or companies that previously had nothing to do with pets, and even specialize in other areas, suddenly realize that pets (dogs in particular) are hot and they (or their handlers/publicists/whoever) decide that they are now qualified to give advice on pet matters.
We first experienced this from Ms. Ray when she launched her “Nutrish” line of dog food. Because, apparently, being an expert on quick and delicious cooking for humans also means you know exactly what should go into nutritious dog food. Kudos to her for giving proceeds from the sale of her food to rescue organizations. But we’re still not impressed.
Please, Rachael, we love you for your bubbly personality, your ability to relate to guests on your show and your forte…Quick and easy meals. Heck, if you want to cover dog topics, fine. Great even! We think dogs should get more press. Hold a fundraiser, promote dog adoptions, interview dog experts. But don’t try to position yourself as an expert on all things dog by declaring “Halloween Pup Precautions from Rachael Ray.” We are not going to take it seriously. Seriously.