Cafe faces backlash after painting dogs to look like panda clubs

Painting dogs to look like panda cubs has caused a cafe in China to cop some serious flak for treating the animals as a “money-grabbing gimmick”.

A cafe in China has received serious backlash after featuring chow chow dogs painted as panda cubs.

The Cute Pet Games cafe, which opened last month in Chengdu in the southwest Sichuan province, features six fluffy chow chows dyed white and black.

The chow chow dogs roam around the pet cafe. Picture: China News Service/VCG via Getty Images.

The owner of the cafe, surnamed Huang, dyed each of the six dogs to look like China’s national animal — and they have since been the stars of the new pet cafe.

In addition to serving food and drink to customers, the shop also reportedly provides a pet dyeing service to owners who are interested in sprucing up their pooch.

PETA urges travellers to stay away from any business that exploits animals for a money-grabbing gimmick. Picture: Photo by STR / AFP

However, this practice has caused a lot of concern for the animals’ welfare, with many critics claiming the dye could potentially damage the fur and skin of the dogs.

PETA senior vice-president Lisa Lange called the stunt “stressful” in a statement to Fox News.

A staff member plays with dogs dyed black and white to mimic panda cubs. Picture: STR / AFP / China

“There are far better ways to show appreciation for pandas than by using sensitive dogs as dyeable decorative displays. Coating dogs with chemical dyes is stressful and can even cause allergic reactions on their skin, nose, and eyes,” she said.

The dogs aren’t ‘decorative displays’, according to PETA. Picture: STR / AFP / China

PETA urges travellers to stay away from any business that exploits animals for a money-grabbing gimmick and social media “likes”.

Those on Twitter echoed the sentiment.

'Dogs are dogs. Dyeing them doesn’t turn them into pandas, & they are living beings. You … hurt them just for the sake of what you think looks good.” Others, calling th[em] “panda dogs”, defended the cafe owner’s right to change the pets... “It’s your dog. You get to decide.'

— marsillano (@marsillanius) October 23, 2019

What gave humans the right to stop dogs.........being dogs!

BBC News - Chinese 'panda' pet cafe raises eyebrows https://t.co/zXWLcznMpH

— Colin Gillett (@colin_gillett) October 23, 2019

This is wrong on so many levels. When will #China start to respect all animals? Probably never which is why I wouldn't never visit. #shameonchina #govegan #vegan Chinese 'panda' pet cafe raises eyebrows https://t.co/VeJnhXfRjL

— Slug (@Slugslime2) October 22, 2019

How sick can these people be? Dyeing
dogs to look like pandas???? #AnimalCruelty #BoycottChina https://t.co/8FNX2LWWQl

— Yvette Lee (@YvetteL44070834) October 23, 2019

However, Huang has defended his practice, telling Hongxing News that his dogs were happy and healthy and he imports his dye from Japan, which is reportedly non-toxic to the animals.

Huang has defended his practice, telling Hongxing News his dogs are happy and healthy. Picture: STR / AFP / China.

“Every time we dye it costs 1500 yuan ($A211),” he says. “The dye is really expensive.”

Dyeing the coats of animals has become a popular trend in China since the early 2010s, BBC reports.

This article originally appeared on Fox News and was reproduced with permission