The KInd Life Community Forum

I just read a disturbing article about dyed dogs in China. Dogs are dyed to look like tigers, or turtles, or pandas. I really don't understand why pet owners would think of this as "novel" and "cute". The dogs have to sit through hours and hours of unnecessary fur dyeing, which seems both cruel and potentially harmful. I really wish practices like this were banned. Dogs are meant to be dogs. Why try and make them something they are not? I read on article on the Associated Press website that makes light of the trend and talks about how owners spend quite a lot on having their dogs dyed. Fur is such an important part of a canine's existence and well being, and I just think it's so sad that some people feel that they have to tamper with the natural state of an animal by putting chemicals over its fur. I read that the dye used for this is milder than human hair dyes, but it's still unnecessary chemicals coating the fur and being absorbed into the dog's system. Plus while the dogs are being dyed, they supposedly are "not allowed" to lick their fur, so I'm assuming they are muzzled or controlled somehow. And obviously, dogs will lick their fur daily, so they have fur in their mouth and even ingest some, coated in chemicals. I just think that it's really sad, even if people believe that they aren't doing any harm and the animal "enjoys the attention".