I don't like it! Why spoil the natural beauty of such wonderful breeds!?!

I have no problem with putting on a tee-shirt or pretty coat, bling collar, whatever, so long as the dog is happy but to me, dying a dog is spoiling it and I imagine the poor dog has to be prissed and preened for hours, inhibiting it's natural dog instincts. Dogs were NOT intended to be spectacles for human entertainment, whether it be Greyhound racing or being dyed to look "pretty". Not my idea of fun for a dog.

Sorry if anyone thinks I'm a fun sucker but it just doesn't sit comfortably with me I simply can't understand how anyone could think it looks nice

Personally I think it`s vile. But then I can`t stand mums dressing their kids up to look like tarts or pillocks either. Get a dolly!

I'm glad you said that C & D, I was beginning to think I was the only one that thought this kind of stuff was pretty disgusting?????? Perhaps it's our age

nah - it`s my natural good taste.

A simple dye job takes no longer than a bath and blow dry. Not seeing how thats cruel or inhibiting the dogs natural instincts.

Thank you, Muttzrule!!
I was going to hold off a sec to reply, because I manage take the accusation of abuse to heart. There is nothing wrong with ordinary opinions, such as "I simply do not like the idea of a colored dog", but when people make it sound like animal cruelty, than I of course feel the need to educate them. Cruelty is when customers try to insist (like the one I had yesterday) that their severely matted pet be brushed out, because having it shaved would look ugly. This is even after I told her the mats were covering a majority of her Maltese and to even attempt that kind of a chore on him would be cruel. Her weird response was "I should have went to my regular groomer" and "If I can brush him out, I don't understand why you can't"? So as nicely as I could possibly say (she'd neglected her own dog), I said "If you HAD been brushing him, like you just said, we wouldn't need to discuss what the right thing to do is".

My point being... We pet stylists see animal cruelty on a daily basis and are even asked to get involved sometimes, so while she yelled twice as she was headed out the door... "I thought you all were professionals", those were my thoughts exactly. I could have probably de-matted her dog, but it would have made her dog, Rascal hate me and the entire grooming experience for life, after I were through torturing him. He'd have had bruises all over his pink skin from removing mats that were too tight to remove gently and to do that would have been very un-professional of me. If anything inhibits a dog, it would be that kind of neglect and not what I do to Tillie, which is the complete opposite of neglect.

My Tillie is spoiled to the hilt with more attention than most ordinary dogs, by me and everybody else who meets her, so to ever feel sorry for my dog, is actually kind of hilarious. I have several videos to prove on the various days I've "supposedly" inhibited her natural instincts, of what that looks like, if you'd like to see one of the happiest and silliest acting poodles!!! LOL

Pet dogs aren't like wild dogs. Their one and only job in life... to earn the right of sleeping in our beds and eating without hunting for their own lunch is to smell nice and look pretty, which isn't a hard job at all. Just ask any horse!! Ask me too, cause for all the work I've ever done on my Tillie girl, we worked together as a team! Poodles in general, can take anywhere between 2-3 hrs to groom, if you do a fancy cut and no color. I always do her color on a different day than her pattern and that usually takes much less time than her actual groom. She never gets everything done all in one day. She actually has it much easier than most working dogs, like the police dog, or an obedience trainer's dog, who can sometimes work all day, just like people do. Most dogs enjoy their work though, even if it's just a simple bath and all they had to do was sit still long enough to be bathed, fluffed and have their nails trimmed. They all get off the table looking a lot more proud of themselves. Ask the Dog Whisperer and he'll tell you that grooming doesn't inhibit a dogs natural anything, except maybe their sense of smell. Tillie has no idea the difference between me using a conditioner that has to sit in the coat for 15 minutes or in her hair color, she just knows she's my baby girl and that she's beautiful when we're through!!

I don't think I said it was cruel (in fact I think it was only Muttzrule that brought that word into it). However, it is your choice if you want to do that to your dog. Some of us just don't like it. I understand that Poodles are groomed for long periods but don't you think that's enough, without having to be dyed as well The dying makes not a jot of difference to the wellbeing of the dog, so even if it takes an hour, it's still an hour that the dog didn't need to stand there like a stuffed toy, being prissed and preened.

Anyway, like I said, it's up to you if you feel it necessary to do that to dogs. Personally, I think they are far more beautiful natural. That's just my opinion. You can (and most likely will) choose to ignore it

I didn`t say it was abuse! I said it was `orrible! Like fake orange tan on bleached blondes, and pierced ears on toddlers - not to my taste.