During a Miami Heat game on December 26, a Florida man in the audience brought his dog, who was dyed to look like Pikachu. The imagery of the vibrant, yellow dog went viral, and plenty of people had something to say.
But it was the Miami-Dade Animal Services who really wanted to say something. And according to WFLA, an NBC news affiliate, it seems that animal services has actually issued a citation to that Florida man.
Apparently, there is a law in place in the Miami-Dade county that makes it unlawful to have an animal that has been artificially dyed. According to the Assistant Director of Animal Services for the county, Kathleen Labrada, it’s
"unlawful for any person to possess, sell or otherwise transfer within the County any dyed or artificially colored rabbit or other animal."
Florida man gets cited after he brought his dog that looked like Pikachu to a Miami Heat game
FURRY SITUATION: Miami Heat fan Erik Torres faced backlash after video of his Pomeranian’s Pokémon-inspired dyed fur during Monday's game went viral, but he says his dog was never in any harm. https://t.co/wnudr3Z7Jh
— WSVN 7 News (@wsvn) December 30, 2022
The citation is not the only backlash that the dog’s apparent owner has dealt with since bringing the dog to the Miami Heat game. In fact, while the video of the dog in the audience went viral, it has led to a lot of discussions around the ethics of dying an animals fur for any reason.
While there are animal safe dyes on the market and groomers have taken grooming to a whole new art form, it seems that this dog is a puppy. And puppies are quite delicate in their constitution. In fact, they can get sick quite easily, which is something the owner even pointed out. However, he has defended the dye job by saying that it is perfectly safe and would actually be safe enough for him to consume.
It seems that the dog’s owner will be fighting the citation and has also stated that he will be leaving the dye on the dog. He has promised to keep the pup out of the county, as that does seem to be part of the issue, since even owning an animal with dyed fur in the county is “unlawful.”
What do you think of this entire situation? Are you surprised by the fact that the owner was cited over his dog looking like Pikachu? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.