Cafe in China gets backlash for dyeing dogs to look like pandas

A Chinese cafe has gone under fire for painting chow chow dogs as panda cubs. This sparked outrage online over the alleged mistreatment of the furry pets.

Last month, Chengdu’s Cute Pet Games cafe opened in the south-west Sichuan province. The area is known to be the home of a large proportion of Pandas in the country. The Cute Pet Games cafe rose to popularity as it featured six fluffy chow chows dyed to look like the endangered bear species. According to the owner of the cafe, the dogs were already dyed when they were bought.

Clips of the dyed dogs roaming about in the cafe surfaced on Chinese social media and have gone viral. One video posted by a local outlet Chengdu Economic Daily showed the cafe’s owner offering dyeing services for 1,500 yuan to customers who are interested in giving their own dogs a similar look.

However, the backlash began when online users started to criticize how the cafe treated the dogs. As per The Guardian, one user pointed out that the cafe was commoditizing the dogs saying “In the name of loving animals, these pet cafes just want to make money,” one said while another commented, “I suggest dyeing the dog owners black and white.”

After receiving the negative online response the cafe posted a statement on its Weibo page. They have reportedly discontinued their dyeing services. “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,” the statement read.