Mobile telephony major Vodafone on Friday denied charges of cruelty caused to the animal in the advertisement being telecast on TV.

Vodafone spokesman told to the media that one can easily make it out from the ad that the dog has not undergone any cruelty.

The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has sent legal notice to Vodafone and Nirvana Films and said “The pet dog was made to run, gallop and chase the school van for a long time on a public road. Thereby, the dog was made to undergo severe pain and suffering due to the exhaustion caused by chasing (the bus).”

On the other hand, Nirvana Films, which had made the ad for Vodaphone, defended themselves by saying that “no single shot of a television commercial lasts more than 15 seconds at the most. Therefore, to suggest that the dog suffered due to exhaustion by chasing a bus is taking things a bit too far.” 

Vodafone has asked for time to explain the matter in person to AWBI and hopes to resolve it at earliest.