China's Latest Trend: Doggy Dye Jobs

by Helena Sung (RSS feed) Jul 15th 2009 3:00PM

Pet owners in China have embraced a colorful new grooming trend: dying their dogs' fur in an array of garish hues. "In the town of Wuhan in central China's Hubei province," the Dai ly Mail reports, "pet owners are taking their beloved dogs to grooming parlors where the poor creatures are not just given a shampoo and cut -- but a full-on, multi-colored fur job."

Technicolor dreamcoats, you say? Nightmare, is more like it.

White standard poodles emerge with their floppy ears dyed hot pink or electric blue. One might have an additional bright purple stripe painted down the top of its head, another an slash of red on one of its sides. Less fortunate dogs have their entire bodies painted in all different colors, looking like an escaped circus clown or -- in the case of one poor pooch whose face was dyed yellow while the rest of his body was dyed green -- like a jaundiced leprechaun.

As pets become more popular in China (resulting in nearly a 500% increase in pet spending from 1999 to 2008), the country recently drafted proposed legislation on animal cruelty -- China's first such law. Penalties under the proposed law include a monetary fine of up to 6,000 yuan ($877) and two weeks imprisonment.

No word yet on whether turning your pup into an Easter egg basket is considered cute or cruel in China, but Boulder, Colorado has put its foot down. Last year, a woman was fined $1,000 for dying her poodle pink -- in honor of breast cancer awareness, the woman claimed. (The matter was later settled out of court.) All we can say is, at least it's better than tattooing your cat.