A sports fan has been criticised for being a dog dyed to look like Pikachu to an NBA game, with social media users saying it’s ‘freaking gross'.
The Miami Heat fan was spotted with the brightly coloured pup at the Minnesota Timberwolves game at the FTX Arena in Miami, Florida, yesterday (Tuesday 27 December).
The moment was captured on game footage, with sports commentators remarking on the game could be heard exclaiming: “What is that?!
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"I don't think that dog signed off on that paint job."
The small dog has bright yellow fur, with red circles on each side of its face to mimic Pikachu’s rosy red cheeks.
Posting the footage on Twitter, user @cjzero said: “A Miami fan has a brought a dog dyed into Pikachu to Heat – Wolves.”
Many other social media users slammed the ‘paint job’, with one writing: “That’s freaking gross.”
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Someone else said: “That’s not OK!! It’s not funny at all!!”
A third added: “That’s animal abuse.”
A fourth also wrote: “Horrible and abusive! Shame on you that you do encourage animal abuse.”
Animal charity PETA has previously warned against dyeing pets' fur, arguing that they don't 'need' or 'want' it to happen.
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"It’s so important to remember that dogs are not things but individuals," it says on its website.
"They deserve to curl up at home with a loving guardian. No animal should have to endure being leashed to a countertop, painted, and prodded for a nonsensical 'beauty' treatment, regardless of their breed, personality, or temperament.
"Claiming that it’s OK to torment 'show dogs' is like justifying the exploitation of 'circus elephants.'
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"Dogs are dogs, just as elephants are elephants. All animals deserve to live free from the speciesist whims of humans."
PETA said dog hair dye jobs can cause animals to have a 'serious allergic reaction' or 'stress them out', while some may even sustain burns or be fatally poisoned by the toxins.
It continued: "No animal has a natural desire or need to be dyed, pierced, tattooed, mutilated, or modified in any other way to appeal to humans’ aesthetic preferences.
"Although routine grooming is necessary and important for many companion animals, unnatural beauty procedures that don’t benefit an animal’s health and well-being should never be performed - there’s simply too much risk and absolutely no need. Forcing an animal to endure this kind of suffering isn’t trendy - it’s abusive."
Jess Hardiman