Puppy dog store owner, Erik Torres fined for dyeing his Pomeranian red and yellow to look like Pokemon character PIKACHU
A Miami dog owner who dyed his puppy red and yellow to resemble the Pokemon character Pikachu and showed it off at the Miami Heat basketball game is now getting some heat himself.
Owner Erik Torres was seen in a video proudly holding his colorful furball named Zaza at the Monday night game, catching the attention of one of the commentators who said: ‘I don’t think that dog signed off on that paint job,’ 7News Miami reported.
Many called the bizarre stunt animal abuse and the pet owner was slapped with a $200 fine for violating Miami-Dade County Ordinance 5-12A, which states it’s illegal to be in possession of any dyed or artificially colored animal.
Torres said he did not dye Zaza himself but sent the family pet to California for the makeover, a surprise for his young daughter who is a huge Pokemon fan.
He claimed that he did his homework beforehand and used a dye that was safe for dogs and horses. He also said that he was not aware he was doing anything unlawful.
‘I did my research, and I knew that in no way or form would this affect my animal, my dog,’ he said.
Torres runs World Famous Puppies pet store in Doral, Florida, which opened to the community in March 2021.
Since the store opened Miami-Dade Animal Services said they have issued 16 citations against the store with many of those citations stemming from customer complaints alleging the sale of sick dogs.
Torres disputed those claims and said he does what he can to keep the dogs healthy.
He was already on the city officials’ radar after a complaint came in from a customer who purchased a dog from Torres’ shop, which the customer claimed was sick.