Even Sarah McLachlan Says Her Sad ASPCA Ads Are 'Brutal' - But They've Raised $30 Million!

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'I can't watch them!' the singer confessed.

Sarah McLachlan -- she's just like us.

The "Angel" singer confessed that even she can't watch those heart-wrenching ASPCA ads featuring her 1998 hit paired with images of homeless pets.

"A friend of mine was on the board for the ASPCA here and said, 'Hey, would you mind doing a PSA for us?' I was free that week! I was like, 'Yeah, I love animals. Absolutely I'd do it,'" McLachlan told Makers in a recent video blog. "I have to say, it was brutal doing those ads."


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The long-running commercials have proven extremely effective over the years. The 47-year-old joked that they "work like a hot damn," revealing that more than $30 million has been generated for the ASPCA as a result.

"Obviously the mix of the music and my sad face," she explained. "But I can't watch them. It kills me!"

But clearly there are plenty of people who do watch them!

"I got a whole new audience out of it," she said. "I swear I'd be at Target in Missouri at 10 o'clock at night getting off the tour bus and I'd be going down the aisle and these two little old ladies would be like, 'Are you that dog lady? I love that song!' Daily. Daily this would happen."

Fellow animal activist Hilary Swank recently spoke with ET about her passion for saving animals at Fox's All-Star Dog Rescue Celebration (she's an executive producer of the program) -- and had an adorable moment with a puppy amid the interview. See it below!