The Dulux dog is dead - but there's some happy news as well.

South Africa's Dulux dog is dead but a new one has been imported from Russia that will take over dog duties at JOY Dogs where he's been helping to make young and old people happy.

Oscar who was used in South Africa's Dulux's TV commercials and campaigns has died after 9 and a half years as first reported by Comaro Chronicle. He had been ill for the past year.

He was imported from Belgium in 2009 by Sue Green and will now be replaced by a new dog, Orion, that was imported from Russia last year.

Oscar was instrumental in the creation of JOY Dogs, an outreach visiting schools and old age homes where people get to interact with dogs. Oscar still appeared in a new print advert for Dulux in November 2018.

"We miss Oscar and are proud of the many lives he touched and the people he made happy. We wish to thank Dr Dave Erasmus from Kibler Park Vet who looked after him and helped make his last few months comfortable," said Sue.

Dulux have used an Old English Sheepdog as the brand mascot for Dulux paint since 1961.

OSCAR GOES AWESOME. M-Net Movies gets Oscar Pistorius for a hilarious TV commercial and its new 28 Days of Oscars campaign.

It's hilarious: A brand-new TV commercial with Oscar Pistorius and two dim-witted office cubicle baffoons which M-Net's M-Net Movies division is going to be using during February to draw attention to its Oscar month campaign.

The Oscar Pistorius M-Net Movies TV advert was done by Bevan Cullinan (Fresheye Films) and Clearwater. Oscar Pistorius and M-Net Movies is promoting the movie channels' set of Oscar-winning movies leading up to the actual Academy Awards which M-Net will be showing in South Africa on Monday 25 February in a "28 Days of Oscars" campaign.

Viewers will be able to look out for daily "Oscar's Picks" and "Oscar's Nods".

"We are honoured to work with an international icon as renowned as Oscar," says Pierre Cloete, the channel director for M-Net Movies. "The brand's core values of freshness and adventure will further be amplified by his association and will assist in promoting the M-Net Movies brand."

"I had a lot of fun shooting it, as it was totally different from the norm," says Oscar Pistorius. I'm sure the public will enjoy it as much as I did."

Pistorius is a clever media meme master. Currently gracing the magazine covers of GQ and Sarie, his 2011 ad for Thierry Muggler for A*Men perfume created big buzz.