Panda Dog - a new 'hybrid species' or a cruel joke?
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The Mysterious Panda Dog - What IS it (and how can I get one!??)
Obscenely cute and somewhat controversial - the Panda Dog has taken Japan by storm!
Is it a new hybrid species born of an innocent but forbidden love affair between a panda and a dog? (That's a mental picture that's difficult to erase from my mind.....)
Or maybe it's a photoshopped image some cruel and bored person created to pull our legs (and if so, will it one day be categorized with the Loch Ness and Bigfoot under 'mythical creatures'?)
Oddly enough - it's not so much a mystery as it is a tale of love, passion, rescue, and a big bottle of black (doggie-safe) hair dye....
Named after the quirky detective in the hit TV series 'Columbo', this Maltese-Poodle mix is the talk of the town in Tokoyo. His owner, Kensuke Hirakawa, adopted him after Columbo's previous owner abandoned him (reportedly due to his ugly looks...) and had sent him off to die.
Although Columbo was a bit aggressive and barked non-stop at first, Kensuke saw potential in this little droopy-eyed fur ball and took him in and he soon became tame. Poor Columbo had been through a lot and had the marks to prove it - a stiff back leg, tear-stained eyes and all his canine teeth had been removed (to prevent biting). But being a former beautician and pet shop owner, it didn't take long for Kensuke to hatch a crazy little plan for an Extreme Doggie Makeover!
Using completely safe (non-toxic) black hair color for dogs, Kensuke dyed parts of Columbo's dingy white fur in the striking pattern of the panda that most of Asia is so well known for.
And boy did he stand out! Once a mixed breed mongrel tossed aside because of his looks, Columbo is not only the most talked about and adored dog in the neighborhood (and probably all of Asia as well), he's also now the poster dog and mascot in a campaign to save the abandoned and abused dogs of Tokoyo. Kensuke only hopes that this will help teach others how to be responsible and love their pets. (I know there's a moral in there somewhere....)
Kensuke said that dying Columbo's hair just made sense - he'd always had stains around his eyes. And the good news is that the dye isn't permanent. Since it only lasts about a month, Kensuke can change Columbo on a whim! Who knows....maybe he'll show up as a tiger or leopard next month!
To see a short video clip of Columbo and Kensuke in action, keep reading!
But Wait! There's More.......!
Seems Columbo started a hip new trend - now Panda Dogs are popping up everywhere!
Take a look at these über chic panda-wannabees:
And it looks like Chow Chows are a new fav for Panda-Dogging.....and how could you not agree? Look how cute they look as a puppy! Just like a, well....an unpainted panda dog!
Here's the video of Columbo I Promised You...
(Of course it will make a lot more sense if you understand Japanese.....but the message of the clip is clear in any language - aaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwhhhhhhh!)
Meet Kensuke and His Sidekick Columbo - The Amazing Panda Dog!
So come one and come all - share your thoughts on this weird, strange-but-true oddity from the East (that we all *know* will soon sweep the States.....it's only a matter of time, my friends.....only a matter of time.)
P.S. Wanna know more about dying your dog's hair? I'm working on a hub right now, so RSS me and check it out! Thanks!
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Comments
is it true...?
or just hair coloring dogs..?
do you not realize how cruel and horrible this is? I am totally disgusted by this. sure, make designer dogs bred in cruel puppy mills while thousands are euthanized daily. thats a brilliant idea. remember..THESE ARE REAL CREATURES WITH REAL FEELINGS AND NOT JUST AN ACCESSORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
im not against genetic hybrid evolution, but doing it just for show is rather cruel.
Ok, this isn't fucking cruel!
Its damn DOGGY SAFE hair dye.
If they wanna paint their dog to look like a panda, zebra, elephant, koala...(etc)
who should tell em not to...ITS THEIR DOG AND ITS THE NEW THING SO SUCK ITT!!!
koncling, mandy, and Vinh-
It's just a dog painted to look like a panda. Read the blog. If you still don't get it, you should know that-sadly-you are-doomed, because you "can't fix stupid."
this is lame
this is ridiculous. even know it may not seem cruel to dye someones hair but they're not like us humans. they can't tell us what they like or don't like. i don't think you'd like it if someone dyed or cut your hair without permission. yeah dogs need care but if you don't like your dog the way it is then don't get one in the first place.
know what?
it is a freakin dog!
dogs don't care how they look, and it doesn't hurt them!
I don't think it's so cruel if they don't mind getting a bath. They said it wasn't permanent dye, so it was probably just a cream. I had a white cat that needed to be bathed on a regular basis and I used to just throw a packet of kool-aid into her tub of water and change her colors all the time. She was purple, and blue, and green, and yellow, anything kool-aid made, she was. Because it would wash out in a matter of days. And you know what...she didn't care at all! She was the same cat she always was, just a different color. It didn't even bother the other cats, they didn't even notice! If she would have known what I did, she probably would have thanked me, seeing as she got more attention over it when people came over. Our other two cats are naturally designed, and they used to get more attention because she was just plain white. If they don't mind bathing, then it's not cruel.
I completely agree with Kari Crow. It isn't cruel at all. Aslong as you are careful around the eyes and your pet doesnt mind bathing then you are fine. And to everyone who says 'You don't know if your dog likes looking like that, how would you like it if we did that to you without permission?'; Well you should be grooming your pet anyway, cutting its claws and such. If you have a long haired dog then it would need shaving slightly in the summer.. but you dont know if your dog likes it? And as for the colour, well dogs are colourblind anyway. Does this dog above look at all unhappy to you?
hi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A doggie cut and color. I wish I thought of it first.
ok that really is adorable. I figured it was some photoshopping, but the dye really is a great idea. I know several friends who have adopted dogs and have the stains under their eyes due to a terrible previous owner. I bet they haven't thought about dying their hair. Interesting - learn something new every day!
What Cinderella story - now a poster dog. Nice to hear happy endings every once and while! GREAT HUB!!
i'm all for using safe products but the problem lies in the fact MOST people will not do the right thing. they will look for shortcuts or $$ saving products which will lead to health problems for the dog. with raising costs becuz of animals health people will either euthanize, abandon, ignore, or get a new dog. thus the cycle continues. but i hardly expect a government (china) that can't keep toxic ingredients (melamine and lead) out of products to care about animals being dyed for the fancy of the owner.
As long as the dye is safe, there is nothing at all wrong with doing this. Those of you who are complaining about it being cruel are missing a very important detail: the dog was abandoned for being 'ugly'. Now, the dog doesn't care at all what it looks like, but most owners do. If anything, this is a very POSITIVE trend. Sure, everyone should judge a dog based on the dog, not on its looks, but until people are willing to do this, then why not make the dogs look more interesting and desireable? The only thing that's doing is making dogs more likely to find homes, and if you think that's cruel, you've never seen the face of a dog with no home.
I'm glad you have this page believe it or not in cincinnati Ohio someone posted the exact same picture of columbo for sale on kijiji and I was going to buy it for my daughter but I decided to look up dogs that look like panda's because I had never seen one before so now I now it was just a scam for money.
You guys are idiots for arguing about this.
That's for the people who said it was cruel.
If you actually read the blog, it'll say everything.
"Ew! The dog doesn't like it!"
First of all, who gives a damn about what you think?
Second, how do you know Columbo doesn't like it?
And three, you're stupid for arguing about something, and not even posting anything credible about it.
Give us something more than "It's cruel", you fucking nimrods
Mandy said "do you not realize how cruel and horrible this is? I am totally disgusted by this. sure, make designer dogs bred in cruel puppy mills while thousands are euthanized daily. thats a brilliant idea. remember..THESE ARE REAL CREATURES WITH REAL FEELINGS AND NOT JUST AN ACCESSORY WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "
Someone call the WAAAMBULANCE
omg are u guys stupid and not read the whole thing it said it was dyed with doggie safe dye! so seriously it makes the dog cuter and more ppl want to pet it so how is it cruel u retards?
okay i hate people that say oh that is so cruel to animals, you dont make any scene. and trust me i should know i love animals so much but hello, uh why do you buy a pet um to pet, to care for the last time i check thats an accessory. isnt it?? safe hair die is like giving your cat or dog animal food that is processed, in a factory instead of giving them meat. do they tell you that the food is good?? do you know that they maybe want i dont know beef or lamb. no you dont, why because they dont care they just care if you are their, food, bathroom and sleep. they dont go into the bathroom and stare at them selfs and say god i hate my fur it makes me look fat, i am pink today i look gay. no they dont yes they have feeling but they arent hurt unless you go on vaction or at work/school.
Anybody who complains about this being cruel is a dumbfuck! Congradulations
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lol. i absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!! yeh... i think people should READ the blog first...but im assuming they did... hopefully. i dont think it's cruel... i mean.. an owner is called an OWNER for a reason... as long as they dont hurt the animal... dogs are color blind ANYWAYS.. and... it's not like.. they put make up on.. or.. whatever to look good or anything.. i dont think dogs really mind how they look. and that panda dog looks happy. if they're not waggin their tail when they're looking in the mirror after they got dyed.. then... dye it back! duh. the dye is harmless ANYWAYS. if it did harm the dog then i wouldve disagreed.. but.. yeh.. i dont know why ppl are DISGUSTED and shit. if you say a dog is like a person.. then.. i dont think dying it is a problem. if a person was in a bad relationship or something and they just got out of it.. most likely they will do SOMETHING to change their looks to forget the past.... like.. cutting their hair... DYE their hair.. WHATEVER it is.. it can still be done to a dog as long as it doesnt harm the dog in any way... i feel dumb arguing back to LOSERS but.. my opinion needs to be heard. lol.
This dog was to put sleep by his previous owner because he was ugly. His back leg is stiff. His hair around his eyes got brown from eye mucus. His new owner is a former barber who rescued this poor dog. The new owner decided to dye his hair black using dog safe dye and made him looks like a panda to hide his brown spot from eye mucus. Now, once ugly abandoned dog turned into a famous panda dog everyone notice. The current owner is using the public attention to tell his dog's sad story to prevent dog abuse.
Some people paint their dogs nail, give them lion cut, dress them up like a doll. I didn't think nothing worng with what the current owner did :)
um... who cares if they dye the dogs??? there are plenty of dogs that work in hollywood and broadway that get dyed for their parts all the time. if youre allowed to shave your cat to look like a lion you should be able to dye your dog like a panda.
theyre color blind anyway, they wouldnt notice if they were freaking neon green. who cares?
to be honest with you, there is nothing wrong with this. these animals are bred to be domestic creatures, so they technically would not even need their natural color anyways. Anyways most "designer" dogs are bred to be so frail that if they were left out in the wild for a few days they would most likely die, because the natural and physical characteristics that they would need to survive in the wild have been bred out of them. compared to all the other things that could have been done to this dog, this is the least horrible
HOW INHUMANE!!!!!!!
Of course....something like this is done in Asia.
Wow - that's definitely crazy! Surprised it hasn't hit the US like a storm - just like everything else from Japan :D
thats great! i love it. but i cant stand the people on here who are bitching about it. the dog looks well fed, loved, and all around healthy. so what makes you think there is anything wrong?
quit bitching about something so small. why dont you assholes go after the people beating their dogs in YOUR OWN HOMETOWN and quit trying to fuck with the rest of the world!
i'm thinking about the kool-aid idea for a friend's cat and it doesn't mind baths so i should be fine. I would like to do this to my dog, but she isn't white but if I ever get a white dog I'm totaly going to dye it with doggie-safe dye
I think everyone's made their point so can we stop arguing?
Dude, I totally want one. :] but my dog's a blue healers, so she's black, white, gray, brown, ect. lol.
Everyone who's complaining about 'designer dogs' needs to do some research. Humans have been 'inventing' dogs for centuries - heck, German Shepherds didn't even exist until 100 years ago. WhatEVER. The people who are REALLY cruel are the ones who get dogs, then don't bother to walk them or pay attention to them or feed them food full of corn syrup and wonder why the poor things bark all the time and chew the furniture (I have a secondhand dog who was put out to pasture for so-called bad behaviour; it's amazing what some training and a 60-minute walk a day will do - now we take her everywhere and everyone loves her).
Anyhow.
These dyes are completely safe for the dog, its not the same kind that your hairdresser uses on you. Its pure pigments that are non toxic and vegitable based. You could eat tubs of it and it won't do anything to you...well maybe turn your poo into a rainbow...but other then that its fine. As for how the dog feels...my dog rolls in the mudd, she trys to dive into the garbadge, she often rolls in the goose poo that is laid fresh in the yard at our condo each morning. She would be completely happy bathing in pond sludge. So why would she care to have her fur dyed? Well the truth is, she doesn't mind. I sometime dye the tip of her tail with non toxic vegitable based pure pigments, it washes out in no time and she comes running when i say tail time to her, she sits patiently while i apply the dye and stays sitting until im done blowdrying it into her fur. It lasts about 3 bath times and then we do a different color...usually i match it to the color that i dye my extensions. She gets tons and tons of attention which she loves. Now whats the harm here? I bet half of the people out there screaming abuse on this matter shampoo with hartz shampoos which are extremely bad for dogs, or maybe you feed your dog a commercial dog food and god knows what goes into those...should we scream abuse at you? Or maybe your one of the many pet owners that uses cheap flea and tick collars or topicals rather then the pricey safer(but not completely safe) topicals. half of these dogs that get dyed get better treatment then any dog i know and they use top of the line shampoos to keep their dogs health tip top since alot of the dogs that are dyed are show dogs. There are so many other inhumane things that are over looked from day to day that this i think is the least of our worrys. Sure maybe it looks strange and maybe it seems a little show offish or even selfish but at the end of the day your dog is happy just to be around people and having people giving them attention. Its just not something people are used to seeing so automatically its "not right" . please people lets be a little more open minded i think that there is much worse going on in this world
Doggie safe hair dye is not cruel.....but the brown stains on around a dog's eyes is an infection caused by excessive tearing. Treat the eyes, then dye your puppy. My friend and I used Kool-Aid to dye her poodle blue..it worked great. Its cheap, safe, and fades or washes out quickly.
what food did the
panda dog eat???
awesome!!!!!
i like it!!..
okay fuck everbody shut up!!!!!
okay its cruel but not at the same time
for instance take someone that loves ther dog and maybe wants to make it look cool or somthin but saying that ...... it would be wrong for someone to buy this dog only for the purpose to walk around and flaws it like an accesorie
u wanna look good ? go buy some cloths, dont buy a dog to impress or get attention
omg to the person who thinks grooming a pet is cruel, i think you are cruel, because a dog is like a baby. They can't ask for a haircut but we know when they need one, they cant ask u to clip their nails but we do it for their own safety and they cant tell u to put clothes on them but i'm pretty sure they appreciate being clothed. They can't communicate with us but damn, it doesn't take a scientist to tell me what they need. You wouldn't go to a mother and tell her not to dye her kids hair, so who are to say anything about this man dying his dog.
how is this inhumane?
After the dog gets dyed to look like a panda, everyone is going to be fawning over him.
You people are so stupid, he gets a little hair cut, and a bath with doggy-safe hair coloring and then he's everyones favorite dog and getting petted by everyone. He's probably the happiest he has ever been.
Fucking idiots.
I think it looks cute!
And for all you that think this is "cruel" or "disgusting"...no one really cares because YOU can't do anything about it.
anyone who says this is cruel either cant read or is too lazy to (looks at Mandy). This dog was treated horribly by his previous owner because he was deemed 'ugly'. Kensuke took the poor dog in and masked his scars with DOGGY SAFE dye. Now Kensuke is using Columbos new found attention to raise awareness of mistreated animals. How is that cruel? Kensuke wasn't hurting any dogs, in fact he was HELPING dogs!
First of all, for those of you saying that it's so great how the owner is promoting adoption, I invite you to look at this from another perspective. The promotion seems to be, "Go To a Shelter, and You Too Could Adopt a Cute Dog". Think about this for a sec. For those who decide to adopt BECAUSE they saw a nice looking dog, don't you think their focus will be to also find a nice-looking dog? I hate to say it, but too many people adopt (and that includes buying from a breeder) without considering whether their family, lifestyle, and financial situation is suitable for this particuar dog.
THIS is the education that needs to be spread to potential dog owners (and current ones, too!). Not to tempt people to go check out their local shelter to go on a treasure hunt for the next cute dog...
Is the swearing necessary? It's hard to get past it and read what you're trying to say!
Here's a few new questions: Why do we think the dog looks cute? Because it looks like a panda. Why do we think a panda is cute? Because it looks like a baby it's whole life.
Right? I mean, we LOVE baby things. I love baby things. Puppies, kittens, squishy little adorable faces and big eyes and cuteness.
Here's where the problem comes in, and here's where I see the cruelty of admiring this dog's looks. Adopt a cute, baby animal and it's all wonderful and lovely. Until reality sets in and the animal stops being "cute" and starts being "real". Real poo, real barking, real scratching and biting. Dogs/cats have personalities and attitudes; they don't (and SHOULDN'T) remain dolls forever.
When I watch The Dog Whisperer or all those other dog shows, the main theme seems to be (1) people treat their dog like a "baby" (dress it in clothes, talk to it like it knows english, put it in a purse, say "oh, no, let me save you" - which creates fear in most dogs), or (2) people ignore their dog's real needs (don't let it socialize, don't seek to learn what the dog's true nature is - hunting, tracking, running, pulling- and then they don't let the dog practice it's natural state of being).
I mean, the chihuahua, the smallest dog, is becoming SO popular! When bred well, these dogs can be great! Unfortunately, there ARE unscrupulous breeders out there who don't care about the quality of the breed; rather, they prey on potential owner's "cuteness-radar" and breed and sell these poor puppies at astonishing rates!
So maybe when people say that this is cruel, what they're talking about is the focus on the looks of the dog, rather than what's best for the dog. You all keep saying that you KNOW the dog is happy that it's getting so much human attention. Yes, that's better than if it were being ignored or abused, but why do we automatically assume that this dog WANTS to be around all of these humans? Have we all studied the dog's breeding to find out what it's natural instincts are? Plenty of dogs are happy being around their family, but they actually become annoyed with too much attention and stressed with the presence of strangers. An argument here should not be that the dog is necessarily happy to be surrounded by strangers.
Okay, again with the education thing... people, DOGS ARE NOT COLOR BLIND! Geez. Go ahead and look it up. I'm not saying dogs notice what they look like. (Did you know that the dog in the petsmart commercial that looks at itself in a mirror is doing that ON COMMAND?). Dogs don't check themselves out like humans do. They notice themselves, but I've never met (and will never meet) a dog jealous of another's looks. The humans owners get a bit green with envy, tho!!!
Oh, the reason dogs are not color blind? They see in two colors (blue & yellow). Humans see in three colors (red, green, blue). Think about that. They see with only 1/3 less color than we do. Now, they don't see color as vibrantly as we do. What we see as a bright yellow tennis ball, they see as pale yellow. But it IS yellow to them (of course, they don't have a word for yellow, but they could tell a yellow ball from a red one, since they wouldn't see a shade on the red one.
But I digress.
WOT A DICKHEAD SHIT
A dog's not a toy. People should like the dog for what it looks like naturally and not because someone dyed its fur. And these pets aren't "just dogs" you haters.
Haha All I know is that I love Pete ^
My god people are self-righteous.
ALL DOGS ARE BREED TO LOOK A CERTAIN WAY!!!
. Ergo all dogs have been designer dogs.
That means that your dog is a product of Designer dog. your precious "buster" the perfect family dog,a labrador, is made from years and years of inbreed, cuz people did not know better back then, cuz back then a dog was still a dog.
I tend to think this is bull crap. I'm sorry to be rude and to the point but I have done a lot of research with this type of stuff.
See my article on hybrids and dogs. I spent countless hours researching this and communicating with experts in this type of stuff. It all boils down to genetics.
I truly feel the genetics of the two would not work out, sorry but that's the facts. Anyone that does a bit of research will see the genetic differences of these two animals will not allow a pregnancy.
Sorry folks but this is simply not a true story.
Just like thepetblog says it's not a panda dog.I have done research on this and I have seen a dog that looks 100% the same in u.s.a. and I found out it is either some kind mix breed or a portuguese water dog.
pgrundy says:
2 years ago
So cute! Thanks Michelle! I'm so glad you found HubPages. I love it here. I hope they were careful around the eyes with the dye though. Thanks for this!