Colouring your dog’s fur seems to be a subject that some people say yes to and some say a very big no, and even celebrities are dyeing their dogs.

I think the big question is, can it harm your pet? If you use people hair colour then yes. But there are many products out there that are specifically made just for dogs. We use Pet Esthe and it is 100% safe to use on dogs.

So why do it? Just like humans as we get older we get grey hairs. We like to go to the hairdresser and fight those grey hairs, and we always feel better and even maybe just a little younger when we walk out the salon.

But do dogs even realise that they are going grey? Well we can’t really say as no one has invented a doggie to human translator. But does it really matter? Dogs love getting attention, they love being fussed over.

The process of dying a dogs coat is harmless. Just like we get our heads massaged when we colour our hair, dogs get their bodies massaged. And who doesn’t love a good massage? We pamper our pooches and spoil them with affection.

When the owners get their dogs back, they are excited and happy and that excitement and happiness rubs off on the dog. Dogs are very good at picking up our emotions and if there is all this happy emotion going around surely then there is no harm to the dog.

I must confess though that I do have my pushing point. Dyeing your dog to look like a ninja turtle, camel, panda or horse is maybe a bit extreme, but usually this only happens for shows where artists get very creative.

We, at Pet Universe pet grooming salon, do our own creative dyeing, for example Teddy was pure white and we added some gold colour to him. He looks completely natural and you wouldn’t even know his coat had been dyed.

I am quite happy to restore a fading or ageing coat to hide those grey hairs. As long as it is all done by a professional in a humane way with the right products.

We like to pamper ourselves, so why not our beloved pooches? What are your thoughts?

Poodle doodles: Dogs are transformed into pandas, horses and even pirates in a barking mad grooming craze on 26th August 2009. They may resemble these animals – but they are actually Poodles, all competing for the title of top dog at «Creative grooming» shows across the U.S.

The incredible transformations were captured by photographer Ren Netherland, who travels thousands of miles each year to attend each competition.