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Someone has dyed their dog to look like Pikachu and we all need to stop

Has the Pokémon obsession finally gone too far?
 By 
Sam Haysom
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

LONDON -- When people start dying their pets bright yellow in order to make them look like imaginary creatures, you know a craze has probably gone too far.

Since the launch of Pokémon Go last month, the game has taken off in a way no one could have predicted.

There are people using bots to complete the game as quickly as possible, Olympians sharing their frustrations over the lack of Pokémon in Brazil, and now, well, now someone has actually gone and dyed their dog to make it look like a Pikachu.


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The dog-painting video was shared on Facebook and Twitter recently by Elihudi Urassa from Brighton, UK. It's received around 3.5 million views on Facebook and around 9,000 shares between the two platforms at the time of writing.

It's also generated a lot of intense debate over whether or not dying a pet constitutes abuse.

Many people thought it was cruel.

Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Others, meanwhile, pointed to pet friendly dyes.

And some people just really didn't hold back.

Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Mashable reached out to UK charity Dogs Trust for comment, and they sent the following statement:

"Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, is concerned by the trend for colour-dying dogs and urges anyone considering this to be certain that the dye used is non-toxic and not medicated. We have seen an increase in the number of dogs dumped once they fall out of fashion and urge new dog owners to remember that a dog is for life.  The charity understands that dog owners like to pamper their pooches; however we strongly believe that a pet is not a fashion accessory and should not be paraded as such so as not to fuel this perception."

Meanwhile, the debate on social media rages on.

Topics Pokemon

Mashable Image
Sam Haysom

Sam Haysom is the Deputy UK Editor for Mashable. He covers entertainment and online culture, and writes horror fiction in his spare time.

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