A pet cafe in China has sparked fury from animal rights groups after offering to dye dogs to make them look like pandas.
Unsatisfied with the cuteness of their pups, Chinese dog owners are rushing to ‘pandarise’ their pets, turning them into mascots for the country’s national animal.
Customers of the black and white procedure have been flocking to Cute Pet Games Cafe in the district of Jinjiang in the city of Chengdu in the southern province of Sichuan, proceeding to share snaps and videos of their pups online.
Check out a video of ‘pandarised’ pooches below:
According to reports, cafe customers can be expected to pay 1,500 RMB (£164) in order to dye their dogs’ fur black and white like a panda.
The video shows one client cuddling a fluffy ‘pandarised’ Chow-Chow dog, while several other dyed dogs are seen running around and playing at the Cute Pet Games Cafe.
It all started when six ‘panda’ dogs were brought in from other Chinese regions earlier this year. As soon as customers caught sight of the cute pups, they were an instant hit.
Cafe owner Huang explained: ‘The dog dyes are imported from abroad and we have a dog-colouring professional who provides the service.’
While there’s no doubt the pets look absolutely adorable, some have raised concerns over the dogs’ well-being during the dying process – as well as pointing out that dogs should simply be left the way they are, as they aren’t a canvas for people to paint.
This is the view of PETA Asia press officer Keith Guo, who said there’s always risks with a ‘fashionable’ procedure lie this, and that it should just be for humans.
Guo said:
Dyeing hair may be fashionable, but only for humans who willingly have it done. There are always risks with using dyes on animals, to their fur, skin, nose and eyes. Animals should not be a tool for people to paint.
As for whether the process could actually cause any sort of damage, a vet says it’s ‘hard to tell’ but wouldn’t recommend it.
Local vet Li Daibing explained: ‘It is hard to tell whether it causes damage to the pet or not. In general, it is recommended that you do not dye your pet in such a way as it could cause damage to their fur and skin.’
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After graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University with an NCTJ and BCTJ-accredited Multimedia Journalism degree, Cameron ventured into the world of print journalism at The National, while also working as a freelance film journalist on the side, becoming an accredited Rotten Tomatoes critic in the process. He’s now left his Scottish homelands and took up residence at UNILAD as a journalist.