In Miami, Florida, a puppy store owner found himself in hot water for dying his Pomeranian to look like Pikachu.
On Dec. 26, Erik Torres was at a Miami Heat basketball game. At the game, Torres showed off his vibrantly colored dog, painted yellow with red cheeks resembling the famous anime character. One commentator at the game said, “ I don’t think that dog signed off on that paint job,” according to 7News Miami. Not surprisingly, the video went viral and many dog advocates called out Torres, claiming what he did counts as animal abuse.
Claims That the Dyes Were Safe
In response, Torres said he carefully sourced dyes that were safe for use on animals. Curiously, he said the dye job was a gift for his daughter, who is a big Pokemon fan. “I did my homework, I did my research, and I knew that in no way or form would this affect my animal, my dog,” Torres said.
Interestingly, Torres also said his dog, named Zsa Zsa, was dyed in California and not Florida. Furthermore, Torres said “ he was not aware he was doing anything unlawful,” according to MSN News.
Puppy Store Has Been on Animal Services’ Radar for a While
Regardless, shortly thereafter Miami-Dade Animal Services (MDAS) fined Torres $200 for violating county ordinance 5-12A. Essentially, the ordinance makes it illegal to possess any dyed or artificially-colored animal. Surprisingly, MDAS officials said the citation was actually issued before the video of Zsa Zsa went viral.
Kathleen Labrada, an MDAS spokesperson, said: “We actually received a complaint from an individual on December 20th in reference to a sick puppy that he purchased on December 17th, so while in the store conducting that inspection on December 21st, we did see the artificially colored dog in the store.”
In March 2021, Torres opened the World Famous Puppies pet store in Doral, Florida. Alarmingly, since then, Miami-Dade Animals Services said they’ve issued 16 citations against the store. Of those 16, the majority are customer complaints “alleging the sale of sick dogs”.
As of now, Torres said he firmly believes he hasn’t done anything wrong. “We live in a free country, and if they feel a certain type of way, they can go ahead and do research, just the same way I did, and understand what happened and where this dye came from,” he said.
