McDonald’s has raised the hackles of a lot of dog owners with a new ad in which they suggest that eating McDonald’s food is less risky than petting a pit bull. The ad lists a lot of things that are supposedly riskier than eating at McDonald’s, including “shaving your head just to see how it looks” and “giving your friends your Facebook password,” and “naming your son Sue.” In comparison to such things, eating at McDonald’s “is about a zero on the old risk-er scale.”

The ad, which is embedded below, has angered dog lovers. They contend that the ad propagates the consistently negative – and false – image the pit bull has in many people’s minds. Pit bulls, they point out, are excellent dogs when properly raised, and that the kind of upbringing that produces the stereotypical vicious pit bull would make any dog vicious, regardless of breed. Take a look at the ad, and see what you think:

Now, to be fair, the ad does specify a stray pit bull, which absolutely something should be approached with caution. Of course, any stray animal should be approached with caution, which brings us right back to the ad singling out pit bulls as especially vicious. Besides, given the nutritional value of McDonald’s food, there’s plenty of room for debate on whether you’re safer petting a stray dog or eating at McDonald’s.

What do you think? Is McDonald’s being unfair to pit bulls, or are the people who take offense at the ad being overly sensitive? Sound off in the comments.