Meet Bear — the First Jeep Dog

For decades, Jeeps have been synonymous with the great outdoors, thanks to their prowess as off-roading vehicles. But now, thanks to a Lab mix named Bear, Jeeps may soon become popular as CUVs — canine utility vehicles. When Jeep marketing folks noticed that Jeep owners were sharing photos of their dogs on social media, it was only logical that Jeep should have an official spokesdog.

“Jeep enthusiasts are known to have their dogs buckled up with them as they seek out adventure, proudly featuring them along with their favorite Jeep vehicle in social media content,” says Randy Ortiz, head of Jeep Brand Advertising at FCA. “So this year, Jeep owners, fans and followers were able to post a photo of their pups with their Jeep brand vehicle and tag it with #JeepTopCanine on Instagram and Twitter, or upload it to JeepTopCanine.com, to enter.”

Jeep received thousands of entries and selected eight finalists who were posed with a Jeep vehicle. Fans voted online to crown the first ever #JeepTopCanine on National Dog Day 2020.

The winner was Bear. A 4-year-old black Lab mix, Bear embodies the Jeep brand’s ethos of freedom, love of outdoors and pursuit of adventure, according to Randy.

Bear’s human, Margot Lee, says this special dog came to her home in Northborough, Massachusetts, at 4 months of age from a Georgia rescue.
Bear’s outdoor image is not hype. He’s a real outdoor enthusiast who loves swimming and hiking.

“Bear is a strong swimmer, and loves to take a dip when it’s warm out, even when I think it’s not warm enough,” Margot says. “We also hike … and he has the best sense of direction. He seriously helps me out when I get turned around — or prevents me from doing that in the first place, because he leads me up and down the mountain!”

Bear’s job as Jeep’s Top Canine means he’ll represent the Jeep brand across its social media channels of Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, appearing in exclusive content for the next year, until National Dog Day 2021. Then, Jeep will choose a new spokesdog for 2021.

And while posing with Lee’s Jeep is what made him famous, it’s his special personality that really makes him a star.

“Bear wants to be in on a hug whenever he sees one,” Margot says. “If two people are hugging, he will jump up and put himself in the middle. He has a lot of love in his heart.”

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