One Pokemon fan dyed his dog’s fur to look like Pikachu before taking it to a Miami Heat basketball game. The dyed pup quickly stood out from the crowd, with this example of animal Pokemon makeup attracting much attention online.Many Pokemon fans have dressed their pets up as the titular pocket monsters, with varying degrees of success. In November, for example, one Pokemon enthusiast dressed their dog up as Houndoom. Meanwhile, back in June, a YouTuber called Wandering Cats created a video summarising Pokemon’s story with costumed felines. There are also plenty of Pokemon pet costumes for fans to choose from if they’d rather not DIY their real-life Pokemon.However, one Pokemon fan chose to eschew costuming in favor of dying his pomeranian’s fur Pikachu’s iconic colors. This included matching Pikachu’s bright yellow coat and red cheeks. He even added black tips to the dog’s ears and painted Pikachu’s brown stripes on the dog’s back. The small dog’s bright yellow coat made it stand out when its owner took it to the Mimi Heat vs. Minnesota Timberwolves game, which took place in Miami on December 26. It caught the attention of a cameraman filming the crowd and prompted a few comments from the announcers.
“I don’t think that dog signed off on that paint job,” one of the amused commentators said as the small canine attempted to climb out of its owner’s lap. Many animals seem indifferent to the odd costumes their masters put them in, such as with the Houndoom example mentioned above. However, while it's hard to know for sure how this dog feels about being painted, it is possible to read some discomfort into the dog’s behavior. The clip was posted to Twitter, and while some in the replies had fun memeing about the odd dye job, others felt it crossed the line into animal abuse.
Hopefully, the dog’s owner was careful to use dog-safe hair dye when creating his canine’s Pokemon paint job. Human hair dye can damage dogs’ fur and often makes them uncomfortable. Many chemicals that are safe for humans are also toxic to dogs or come with the risk of potentially serious side effects. These may include allergic reactions, chemical burns, skin disease, and immune disorders. Studies have also linked some of the chemicals in hair dye to cancer in dogs. It is actually illegal to dye a dog’s fur in some states, including Florida, where the basketball game took place.
There are safe and humane ways to dye a dog’s hair. It is, therefore, very possible that the dog owner in the video went about painting his pet in a responsible manner. However, anyone who wants to do the same should exercise caution before following in this Pokemon fan’s footsteps. Alternatively, fans could find other ways to combine their love of dogs with their passion for Pokemon.
Source: Dexerto