By Joe Wilkes

With commercials during Super Bowl XLVI going for 3 to 4 million dollars for a 30-second spot, it's hard to blame advertisers for turning to talent that will work for treats. Not since the glory days of Spuds MacKenzie, have dogs made such a huge paw print on America's big game. Here are some of the canine highlights to watch out for on Sunday.

Volkswagen: The Bark Side and The Dog Strikes Back

VW is doubling down with dog-themed ads this year. After striking gold last year with the little boy dressed as Darth Vader, they have a whole cast of dogs barking Star Wars theme music in one spot and in a second spot, they show a dog in training to chase down the new Beetle, but with a Star Wars twist at the end.

The Bark Side:

The Dog Strikes Back:

Skechers: Mr. Quigley

The bad news for Kim Kardashian kept coming in 2012 after Skechers replaced their 2011 Super Bowl spokesmodel with Mr. Quiggly, a French Bulldog. In this commercial, the Skecher-clad pooch goes to the races to take on the greyhounds. The commercial has come under fire by several animal rights advocacy groups worried the ad will promote greyhound racing, a sport notorious for its poor treatment of dogs. The full commercial will air during the Super Bowl.

Mr. Quiggly Sneak Peek:

Suzuki: Sled

Suzuki headed north to promote its new Kizashi model. Way north. An Inuit Eskimo trades in his dogsled for a cherry new ride, and it looks like the dogs are pretty psyched about the upgrade.

Sled:

Anheuser-Busch: Here Weego

Spuds MacKenzie wasn't the only canine enabler in the Bud Light kennel. This year, Anheuser-Busch introduces Weego, a dog who fetches a cold one for his owner every time he hears the Bud Light tagline "Here We Go" (Here, Weego…get it?). This potent mix of dog and alcohol is being kept under wraps until Super Bowl Sunday.

The puppy Bowl

Of course, the most dogs per second appear during the eighth annual Puppy Bowl. Notable for Los Angeles fans is the appearance of Fumble, a Chihuahua-terrier mix rescue pup from spcaLA (all the Puppy Bowl participants are shelter dogs). Since the Raiders and Rams both left the City of Angels in 1994, there hasn't been much for the Angelenos to cheer for football-wise…until Fumble. Here's hoping Fumble can help reignite some football fever in Los Angeles this year. Go Fumble!

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