- A Chinese cafe is being criticized for painting dogs to look like pandas.
- At The Cute Pet Games cafe in China's southwestern Sichuan province, chow chow dogs are painted black and white to resemble panda cubs.
- But after a video was posted on Weibo, the cafe received a fair amount of criticism, according to CNN.
- PETA also condemned the practice in a statement sent to Insider, saying: "PETA urges travelers to stay away from any business that exploits animals for a money-grabbing gimmick and social media 'likes.'"
- The cafe owner insists the dogs are not harmed in the process, but he is no longer offering pet-dying, according to the Guardian.
A Chinese cafe is being criticized for painting dogs to look like pandas.
At
The Cute Pet Games cafe in China's southwestern Sichuan province, chow
chow dogs are painted black and white to resemble panda cubs.
 |
| © Getty/China News Service |
The cafe, which opened last month, is in a region that's home to the endangered animals, according to the Guardian.
But after a video was posted about the dogs on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter, an online debate has begun over the treatment of the animals.
"It costs 1,500 Chinese yuan ($212) to dye (a pet) each time," the owner, Mr Huang, said in the video, according to CNN.
He also said the dye doesn't harm the dogs, and the idea is that
visitors in the cafe play with the animals while enjoying their food
and drink.
 |
| © Getty/China News Service |
The dyeing service has also been offered to customers
who wanted to make their own pets resemble pandas, the Guardian
reports.
Dyeing pets has been a trend in China since the early 2010s, according to the BBC, but many people have expressed concern at the practice.
"While they look adorable, dyeing the pet this way can easy hurt them," one Weibo user wrote, according to CNN.
Another person added: "Why did he have to treat the dogs like that?"
Animal rights organisation PETA is among those condemning the stunt.
 |
| © Getty/China News Service |
"There
are far better ways to show appreciation for pandas than by using
sensitive dogs as dyeable decorative displays," PETA's Senior Vice
President Lisa Lange said in a statement sent to Insider.
"Coating
dogs with chemical dyes is stressful and can even cause allergic
reactions on their skin, nose, and eyes. PETA urges travelers to stay
away from any business that exploits animals for a money-grabbing
gimmick and social media 'likes.'"
Cafe owner Mr Huang insisted to Hongxing News that the dogs aren't
harmed by the dye and that he employs special staff for the process,
according to the BBC.
But following the backlash, the cafe is reportedly no longer offering the pet-dying service, according to the Guardian.
"Chengdu
is the home of pandas. We wanted to do something different, to
differentiate us from other regular dog cafes and pet shops," said Mr
Huang as per the news site.
"As their owners, their lives are
much better than ours. They are also very healthy. Netizens please
don't project your thoughts on to us," he added on Weibo.
