Turns out, we’re much better at matchmaking than we are at styling.
Going forward, we will not be coloring adoptable dogs. Tan Chihuahuas will remain tan Chihuahuas and we will work harder than ever to showcase their wonderful qualities without resorting to tricks. We won’t give dogs highlights. We won’t remove spots, add spots, lighten gray muzzles or add a touch of gray for that distinguished look. Blondes will remain blondes.
Full disclosure here: Last week’s column was a test drive of sorts, and it crashed. We floated the idea of applying a temporary dye to dogs to see how the local dog community would react. We were called bozos, and that was one of the nicer comments. Someone asked if our mustard-colored dog was sick! Seriously, we truly appreciated all the feedback. You spoke (or typed), and we listened.
The wacky idea of coloring dogs came up during a weekly management meeting -and a weak moment during that meeting - when our shelter manager announced our total dog population (a combination of dogs available for adoption at our new center plus dogs awaiting adoption or disposition at our Coyote Point intake facility) reached 300!
Of course, we would never do anything to harm animals; the dye we researched was actually made for pets by a reputable animal products manufacturer. The dye is not permanent.
Now, if you adopt one of our dogs and play with colored highlights on him or her, we’re good with that. Our concern, as always, is that our animals go to homes with people who will commit to them, love them and make them part of their family.
P.S. Although our dog population dropped from 300 to 275, thanks to a number of wonderful matches this past week, that mustard-colored “hot” dog, Peety, still needs a home. His color will fade in a few weeks, but you’ll have his sparkling personality, love and devotion for many years!
