This little pink poodle breaks the law

BOULDER, COLO —  . -- This is a sight no self-respecting hairstylist wants to see: an inch of white roots showing, the remaining color dulling to a lackluster shade.

“It is faded, isn’t it?” sighed Joy Douglas, owner of Zing Salon, running her fingers through her toy poodle Cici’s tight, once-pink curls.

Nearly a month has passed since Cici has had her bimonthly treatment of pureed organic beets and egg whites massaged into her white coat while she basks under a heat lamp.

With her coat dyed pink -- sometimes a bubble-gum pink, other times a vivid magenta -- Cici is a wriggling 10-pound advertisement for breast cancer awareness, Douglas said, an issue dear to her heart.

But to the Humane Society of Boulder Valley, the pastel-hued, rhinestone-collar-wearing Cici is the embodiment of a law flouted.

As do a number of other communities, Boulder has an ordinance forbidding the dyeing or coloring of rabbits, fowl or other animals. The nearly 30-year-old law was passed to prevent Easter-time trade in baby rabbits, chicks and ducks colored with dyes, which were often harmful, and which encouraged buyers to get rid of the creatures when their cuteness had worn off.

Douglas -- who faces a $1,000 fine and 90 days in jail -- takes umbrage at the idea that she is hurting her dog. “I’ve never treated my animals poorly,” she said.

The attention has its benefits, Douglas said. Soon after the story broke, she said, one man walked in and handed her $40 for a breast cancer fund; her donation jar now boasts $157. “Not too shabby for two weeks,” she said.

Another donor gave Douglas a hot-pink pet stroller. Cici spends her days lolling in it, chewing on a hair clip and yipping in warning when another of Douglas’ dogs, Pierre the Yorkie, tries to join her.

Now Douglas is trying to parlay her next court date into a fundraiser. For every person who shows up at the courthouse in pink April 7, she said, she’ll donate $1 to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

More prevalent in the 1970s and 1980s, the trend of coloring animals has fallen out of fashion as people have grown aware of harm caused to the animals, said Michael Markarian, executive vice president of the Humane Society of the United States.

Cici is not the first dog Douglas, 33, has colored; she tinted her previous white poodle, Lulu. When she bought Cici about a year ago, Douglas continued the practice, using a concoction of pureed organic beets, mixed with Kool-Aid and egg whites. “It comes out a nice hot pink,” Douglas said.

Cici may not realize she’s being dyed, but stylist Travis Smith, Douglas’ employee, said the dog definitely knows she’s getting some extra attention that her companions -- Pierre and black teacup poodle Francois -- aren’t.

“She loves getting pampered. She puts her face up in the heat,” said Smith, 20. “She may not know she’s pink, but she knows she’s pampered.”

Markarian said that he’s not sure whether beet juice is harmful to a dog but that owners must be careful because some foods are toxic to dogs, who could ingest it as they lick their fur.

“This is the first time we’ve heard of a dog being dyed in this way,” he said.

Coloring a dog seems unnecessary, he added. “These animals are not fashion accessories. They’re not billboards. They’re living creatures, and their natural fur and feathers are beautiful enough.”

Douglas said the attention that Cici attracts helps her raise money for breast cancer organizations, although she declined to discuss the amount or whether the disease has directly affected her. Douglas said she participates in cut-a-thons, art shows and other fundraisers.

One year ago, she said, an animal control officer stopped by her shop one block north of Boulder’s popular outdoor Pearl Street mall. He’d received a complaint that one of her dogs -- who come with her to the salon every day -- was underfed. Douglas said the officer quickly agreed that the dogs were healthy. But he noticed Cici had been colored and warned Douglas that dyeing was not permitted.

Douglas said she couldn’t understand how that could be true. When she didn’t hear back from the officer, she said, she assumed everything was fine and continued to color Cici.

This month, another animal control officer returned. Lisa Pedersen, chief executive officer of the Boulder area Humane Society, which enforces the city’s animal welfare laws, said the organization had received another complaint.

The officer ticketed Douglas for violating the ordinance. But in the ensuing flood of media attention, Humane Society officials signaled that they may rethink the ordinance’s application in this situation.

Pedersen said the Humane Society will “review the language of the current ordinance to determine any changes we may recommend” to city officials. Boulder officials said they have not received any proposals to revise the ordinance.

Douglas’ attorney has advised her to cease the color treatments for the time being.

So, for now, Cici’s fur will continue to fade back to its natural white.

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deedee.correll@latimes.com