Web hosting company GoDaddy has pulled its Super Bowl commercial following an uproar from animal lovers.

The company released the ad Tuesday, days ahead of the Patriots and Seahawks game.

The commercial showed nine-week old "Buddy", a golden retriever puppy, riding at the back of a truck. Suddenly, Buddy got thrown out of the truck and struggled to return home. He crossed train tracks, bridges and spent the night in mud and rain.

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Buddy finally found his home and got reunited with his owners - a scene people thought was a happy ending. The owners hugged Buddy, and were happy to see him because they've sold him through a website they have created using GoDaddy.

Buddy was placed in van driven by GoDaddy spokesperson and racing star Danica Patrick.

The commercial instantly earned the ire of animal rights advocates and pet lovers.

One viewer Mick Magnuson wrote, 'Poking fun at a puppy mill is not a laughing matter, and I hope they get bombarded with calls and emails letting them know how disgusting the commercial is."

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) for Monterey County sent out a tweet criticizing the commercial. It said buying a puppy online and having it shipped the next day is tantamount to supporting inhumane breeding.

Other Twitter users also voiced their disgust over the commercial with the hashtag #GoDaddyPuppy.

"What kind of monster do they have running their marketing department? #GoDaddyPuppy Tasteless, horrid, shameful," Kate Thomas tweeted.

On Tuesday night, GoDaddy CEO Blake Irving sent out a tweet saying they will pull the ad, and will no longer air it. In its blog, GoDaddy explained that the goal of the ad was to help small businesses market their product online.

"However, we underestimated the emotional response," Irving said, adding that GoDaddy will still run a commercial during the Super Bowl, but did not reveal the details.

Reports said GoDaddy paid $4 million for its 30-second Super Bowl slot.

TagsGoDaddy, superbowl, animal rights, animal cruelty