Ryan Glasspiegel explains the WTF seen above:

A recent ad from apparel company Pearl Izumi was predicated on one simple idea: That the brand’s new running sneakers are so robust that your dog will perish while attempting to keep up with you. The thing about that simple idea, however, is that people like dogs. A lot. So, after the whole market-our-shoes-by-showing-a-dog-that-appears-to-be-dying approach drew ire from presumably every single person and object that saw it, the brand took to its Facebook page to apologize, and note that they were taking the ad out of circulation.

Update from a reader:

I agree the Pearl Izumi ad is hideously bad, but interestingly it’s also correct. Humans are weaker and slower than other animals in every category but one: long-distance running. Over marathon distances in hot climates, humans can outrun horses, dogs and just about everything else through a combination of better cooling (naked apes) and the design of the tendons in our legs. See here for a layman’s introduction.