Thaindian News

The fad of placing your small dog in a designer tote bag and prancing around in matching heels and nails is quickly being surpassed in China by a new craze, dyeing your dog to resemble other animals, such as tigers and pandas.

According to the ‘Daily Telegraph’, the dog owners of China have embraced yet another bizarre trend, and are taking their pets to high class grooming parlors for much more than a shampoo and trim. These animals are having their fur dyed with tiger stripes and panda dots in order to make them appear as exotic animals.

Chow Chow dogs, which normally have a golden colored fur, are being dyed black and white with panda markings, and paraded around to show off their new look. The dogs don’t seem to mind. Golden Retrievers, which normally have light blonde fur, are being painted orange, black and white with stripes that closely resemble tiger markings.

The fad has made it to such heights that a recent Google search for the term “dog dye” returned 2.7 million hits. Literally hundreds of websites contain instructions which tell pet owners how to do the dye job themselves, if they do not wish to pay the high prices at pet parlors.

If an owner does wish to dye their dog themselves, they are encouraged to remember that many dyes are toxic. Since dogs are known to lick themselves, they can become very ill form using these types of dyes. Food coloring is a good alternative for lightly colored dogs, and is also temporary, meaning that you can change your dog’s look as often as you like!