Caught this on KFOR last night at 10pm.

Apparently a woman had dyed her dog's hair in support of some dog event in OKC. The dog got away from her and was later found at the OKC pound. When she went to get it they wouldn't release it ~ saying she had committed cruelty to her animal and that city ordinance forbids people from dying their animals. A warrant for her arrest was even issued! Fortunately at least one person working for the city had a functioning brain cell and dropped the charges as a 'misunderstanding.'

Seriously folks, the city is inundated with people who truly neglect their animals and we're arresting and charging the one's who apparently overly love their animals!

You can see the report at KFOR.com under Tuesday's 10pm newscast (about 2 minutes in). Or, you can go to OKC.gov and see citation number 086957767 for "ANIMAL CRUELTY DYING OR TRANSPORTING A DYED ANIMAL."

wow, I am glad that someone stepped in and stopped that. There are definitely bigger issues with people who abuse animals.

And another sad part for the pet owner/groomer ~ even though the charges were dropped, anyone who searches her name on OKC.gov will see she had animal cruelty charges filed against her at one time. In this day and age, more and more people do their online homework before hiring someone and certainly could do a search on a potential groomer before entrusting them with their pet.

Outside of the fact that I PERSONALLY think it's rather stupid and likely humiliating to the animal, most dyes used today are safe for animals - assuming the person in question is using animal-safe dyes. Some folks, groomers in particular, take the dyeing to an entirely new artform (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1208913/The-poodles-transformed-pandas-horses-snails-creative-grooming-dog-shows.html).

P.S. There's a big difference between dying and dyeing. If she really were "dying" her dog, then yes, that could be considered animal cruelty. :smile:

So is it against the law to dye a dog's hair or not?

So is it against the law to dye a dog's hair or not?

Based of Fritter Girls response, I guess it is up to the dog and how it fells about it. I got my dog a hair cut and trimmed his nails the other day at PetSmart. I didn't even think to the check with the dog about it. For all I know my dog is a hippy and doesn't want to be nicely groomed.

And another sad part for the pet owner/groomer ~ even though the charges were dropped, anyone who searches her name on OKC.gov will see she had animal cruelty charges filed against her at one time. In this day and age, more and more people do their online homework before hiring someone and certainly could do a search on a potential groomer before entrusting them with their pet.

Never messed with hunting for one, but I suspect there is is a municipal court mechanism for expungment available to her to remove such a misunderstanding from her record.

Never messed with hunting for one, but I suspect there is is a municipal court mechanism for expungment available to her to remove such a misunderstanding from her record.

You gotta pay a lawyer and even then an expungement is never a guarantee.

they should be arrested for wanting to participate in a dog show

so is it against the law to dye a dog's hair or not?

i was curious about that myself and looked it up in okc's municipal code... apparently it is against the law to possess or transport a dyed animal in okc. i also found out it is against the law to tattoo a fish. no kidding.

here's a link to the relevant section of okc's municipal code (http://library.municode.com/showDocumentFrame.aspx?clientID=14500&docID=0) -M

Hey dimwits, aren't dogs color blind?

But Kerry, that was freakin' hilarious.

There was a similar case as this here in Colorado earlier in the summer or in the spring. There was an entire pageant devoted to dogs with dyed fur. Oh, the animal rights people were up in arms!

i was curious about that myself and looked it up in okc's municipal code... apparently it is against the law to possess or transport a dyed animal in okc. i also found out it is against the law to tattoo a fish. no kidding.

here's a link to the relevant section of okc's municipal code (http://library.municode.com/showDocumentFrame.aspx?clientID=14500&docID=0) -M


I remember a year or two ago there was a pet distribution company somewhere downtown that had received a shipment of tattooed fish of some kind. Apparently it is a big craze in some parts of the country because you can get a cheap fish with an exotic tropical looking pattern on it. Anyway, I remember seeing on the news that the place was raided and the city decided the much more humane thing to do was to collect every last fish and destroy them. Irony.

Anyway, I remember seeing on the news that the place was raided and the city decided the much more humane thing to do was to collect every last fish and destroy them. Irony.

Ironic, yes. Still, people who buy tatooed fish probably are not going to be the best caregivers, as a group. Most of those fish's days were numbered. I think that was about drying up the motive to do that to the fish. I guess.

There was a similar case as this here in Colorado earlier in the summer or in the spring. There was an entire pageant devoted to dogs with dyed fur. Oh, the animal rights people were up in arms!

Were they 'fit to be dyed'?

I remember a year or two ago there was a pet distribution company somewhere downtown that had received a shipment of tattooed fish of some kind. Apparently it is a big craze in some parts of the country because you can get a cheap fish with an exotic tropical looking pattern on it. Anyway, I remember seeing on the news that the place was raided and the city decided the much more humane thing to do was to collect every last fish and destroy them. Irony.

Does that kind of mentality remind you of anything?

i was curious about that myself and looked it up in okc's municipal code... apparently it is against the law to possess or transport a dyed animal in okc. i also found out it is against the law to tattoo a fish. no kidding.

here's a link to the relevant section of okc's municipal code (http://library.municode.com/showDocumentFrame.aspx?clientID=14500&docID=0) -M

ok, so she broke the law.

I'm failing to see the problem with an arrest warrant.

Does that kind of mentality remind you of anything?
No, but surely to you it has something to do with being liberal.

Here's a link to the article on KFOR's site. http://www.kfor.com/news/local/kfor-news-dogs-hair-color-illegal-story,0,3186468.story

They interviewed Lori Craig, groomer/owner of Doggie Styles in Moore. She participates in grooming shows that feature dogs with wild colors & such. I've been taking my babies to Doggie Styles for years & they love Lori. I haven't ever had her put any color on them but I've seen her dogs at the shop in all their full color glory. I don't see what the big deal is, so long as it's done safely & properly.

Here's a link to Lori's site, you can see some of her work. Falcor's zebra/giraffe/lion groom is awesome. http://doggiestylesgrooming.vpweb.com/AboutUs.html

I don't see what the big deal is, so long as it's done safely & properly.

It's against the law.

Change the law if you don't like it.

It's against the law.

Change the law if you don't like it.

That argument would hold water if it wasn't for the fact the city has already said it would not be enforcing the law.

Its also against the law to walk on the grass next to the street not facing traffic. Its also against the law to not cross the street at a 90 degree angle. - I just choose to ignore those laws because "I don't see what the big deal is, so long as it's done safely & properly."

Its also against the law to walk on the grass next to the street not facing traffic. Its also against the law to not cross the street at a 90 degree angle. - I just choose to ignore those laws because "I don't see what the big deal is, so long as it's done safely & properly."

Oh, I see..

So if I don't see what the big deal is about a law and know I can do it safely & properly, I can go ahead and ignore those laws..

Awesome, can't wait to get home tonight

Oh, I see..

So if I don't see what the big deal is about a law and know I can do it safely & properly, I can go ahead and ignore those laws..

Awesome, can't wait to get home tonight

Yep, you sure can. Might be repercussions, might not. I'd say use common sense, but...... well........

You gotta pay a lawyer and even then an expungement is never a guarantee.

One could engage counsel, but no, the party wouldn't have to have a lawyer. And while you're correct there is no guarantee, on first blush I don't really see anyone rushing out of their cubicle/office to oppose an expungment request under these circumstances.

One could engage counsel, but no, the party wouldn't have to have a lawyer. And while you're correct there is no guarantee, on first blush I don't really see anyone rushing out of their cubicle/office to oppose an expungment request under these circumstances.

The average citizen wouldn't have a clue how to go about filing for an expungement without hiring legal counsel. And yes, a defendant can always choose to represent themselves, but more often than not it turns out disastrous. As for an expungement in this case? It could certainly happen. However, the city could always (and most likely would based on my talk with a public defender) argue that the city was already very lenient when they dismissed the original charge and that in fact it was a valid charge based on the law. If it wasn't for the threat of bad PR, the city could have gone forward with the charges and most definitely would have won.

The average citizen wouldn't have a clue how to go about filing for an expungement without hiring legal counsel.

I don't think I know how to do it, either!