ohmidog!

This public service ad from France lays it on a little thick — but maybe that’s what’s necessary to get through to humans so thickheaded and coldhearted that they would abandon a dog.

Launched by French animal welfare group, Foundation 30 Million D’Amis (30 Million Friends), the video begins with a dog at his owner’s side in the hospital.

Through flashbacks we learn the owner had driven his dog to a remote area, ordered him to stay, and then drove off.

When he spots the dog in his rear view mirror running after his car he has an accident — and guess who saves him?

Each year in France, tens of thousands of pets are abandoned — most of them during the summer.

NPR reported a few years back that many such abandonments take place while families are on vacation:

“Every summer an estimated 100,000 domestic animals are abandoned in France by owners who say they are unable to take them along or find someone to look after them,” the report said.

The ad — just the latest in an ongoing campaign by humane organizations against abandonment — is being shown online and on French television.

If nothing else, it reminds us which species is the more loyal.