What would you think about a pink poodle? How ‘bout a blue beagle? Panda puppies? A purple pug? Dyed dogs are the latest rage in Japan, and the fad is spreading to the US. Dog fur or hair can be dyed just about any color you can imagine, and some groomers specialize in special patterns like rainbows, polka-dots, tiger stripes, and zebra patterns. The entire dog can be dyed, or color can be added to only parts of the dog – like the ears or tail.

Basically, there are two types of dog dye. One is a subtle enhancement of color, not wild, zany unnatural doggie colors. The shampoo-dyes can even out the tones of your dog’s coat and revive coats that have been faded by the sun or by age. These color-enhancing shampoos are available in white, red, black, and gold. To give you an example, you might use red on an Irish setter to give his chestnut coat more red tones. White shampoo would make the coat of a Maltese dazzling white. These shampoos are good for your dog’s coat and skin and are available at www.petsilk.com.

Then there are the crazy colors available at www.pawpalaceonline.com. These doggie dyes come in sizzling colors like la la lime, pop star pink, shocking orange, tango turquoise, twilight yellow, vampire red, and purple. The dyes are non-toxic and are CFTA approved. Even so, a few dog’s get irritated or itchy skin from the dye. Any pooch over the age of 12 weeks is safe to dye. The color will last through 4-6 baths, but be careful if you do the job at home. Make sure the dog is completely dry before allowing it to come in contact with fabrics or carpet. If not, the dye can bleed onto places you don’t want it to.

There are also other ways to dye your dog. Some people use kool –aid or food coloring. These do not result in a consistent rich, bright color, however.

Many people frown upon dog dyeing, citing it as an example of animal cruelty. I don’t think it’s cruel. It’s really no different than getting a bath. Dogs don’t know they’ve been dyed because they’re color blind. I would never do it because it just seems so unnatural to me. It makes normal, everyday dogs look more like aliens or something. But if someone else wants to color their pooch, more power to ‘em.

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