A dog-groomer who regularly spray-paints her pooch has hit back at Kennel Club claims that painting pets funny colours could leave them feeling like ‘accessories.’
Vikki Pearman, 41, of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, the proud owner of four dogs – including white standard poodle Lacie– claims animals love all the attention.
Her poodle, Lacie, is regularly entered in creative dog grooming competitions – which while popular in the USA, are still relatively new to the UK – and the winning pet-and-owner team have come first an impressive six times.
Dog-groomer Vikki Pearman has hit back at critics who say that her habit for spray-painting her dog ‘humiliates’ the animal
Author of the UK’s only creative grooming book, ‘Creative Styling from Beginner to Winner’, Vikki, who teaches dog-styling to other pup owners, said: ‘I’ve been grooming for more than 10 years.
‘In that time, I’ve very successfully competed in creative grooming competitions, earning the title ‘Creative Stylist of the Year’.
‘I love it. It’s great fun, there is a real community among creative groomers.
Her poodle, Lacie, is regularly entered in creative dog grooming competitions and the winning pet-and-owner team have come first an impressive six times
Using a spray-paint designed to be used on dogs Vikki transforms Lacie into a host of characters, pictured as ‘Dogtor Who’
Vikki, who runs the grooming salon Pedigrees ‘n’ Pooches, in Hatfield, first started showing Lacie a decade ago
‘And, as for dogs feeling embarrassed – it’s rubbish. If Lacie experiences any emotion when she’s dressed up, then it’s sheer joy.’
Vikki, who runs the grooming salon Pedigrees ‘n’ Pooches, in Hatfield, first started showing Lacie a decade ago.
Since then, she has entered the proud poodle in 13 competitions, becoming increasingly adventurous with her designs and even incorporating props, including a mini car and glitter.
Vikki has become increasingly adventurous with her designs, pictured here transforming the pooch into a Wild West style horse
Vikki spends hours pruning her dog for competitions but says the process takes no longer than normal dog grooming
Ahead of a competition, she spends hours painting and pruning Lacie, so she looks tip-top – even dressing identically, so they match.
But Vikki swears Lacie’s outlandish appearance takes no longer to achieve than normal dog grooming.
‘The process takes no longer than I spend on any other dog I groom. It takes even less time than it takes to groom my other standard poodle, Apache, in full show coat,’ she said.
‘All products used are safe for pets, as they are specially made for them, with no harmful chemicals. They can either be a temporary wash out colour, or there are longer lasting products that fade, but have to grow out. They still don’t damage the coat in any way.’
The groomer says that Lacie loves the ‘attention and fuss’ she gets during competitions
Vikki, who considers herself a dog lover, has dismissed claims that she is humiliating her dog as ‘utter nonsense’
In the past, Vikki has dressed as a Formula One driver, with Lacie as the car, and as ‘Dogtor Who’, with her poodle as the Tardis.
But now the Kennel Club, the UK’s largest organisation dedicated to the welfare of dogs, has claimed creative grooming can hurt an animal’s feelings.
Vikki, who considers herself a dog lover, has dismissed this as ‘utter nonsense.’
She said: ‘Creative dog grooming is not for everyone and I happily respect that, but dogs don’t see colour like we do. They don’t feel embarrassed or confused, either, these are human emotions.
The groomer says that she would not colour a dog’s fur if it had a skin condition or was not ‘mentally stable’
‘My girl only knows that she gets lots of attention and fuss, which she loves, and I take her everywhere with me – including on nursing home visits, to dog shows and I even took her to a zoo once.
‘I think all the kids on school trips believed she was the main attraction, and not the actual zoo animals. She always puts a smile on people’s faces.’
Vikki, whose husband Trevor, 45, who works as a groomer too and runs the dog salon with his wife, has even dressed Lacie as a hippy and as characters from Game of Thrones.
‘At our first ever competition Lacie was a horse on one side and the wild west on the other,’ she explained.
Lacie is styled as a dragon from Game of Thrones and Vikki, who regularly dresses to match the dog, is dressed as Daenerys Targaryen
‘She’s also been a Formula One driver, as a tribute to driver Ayrton Senna; a pink, purple and black dragon and Nightmare on Elm Street character, Freddie Kruger.
‘I’ve done a peacock, flowers and fairies and this year was ‘Dog-tor’ Who, while Lacie had a Dalek, Cyberman and Tardis flying through space on her.
‘Of course, there are times when I would not use colour on a dog, for example, if they had any health or skin conditions.
‘Also a dog has to be mentally stable and needs to love attention. But education is the key.’
Bill Lambert, Kennel Club Health and Breeder Services Manager said: ‘Anyone who owns a pet needs to remember that it is a living thing and not a toy to be dressed up or dyed different colours, purely to please its owner.
‘If extreme grooming begins to become more normalised then there is a risk that animals will start being seen as accessories, which is concerning, because their welfare could be jeopardised.
‘Whilst it is fine to take a dog to a groomer to ensure it looks its best, there are limits and the animal’s comfort and wellbeing should always be the priority.
‘Any dog owner considering taking their pet to a groomer to try something new should first research what they are doing and ensure that they aren’t putting an animal through something that they may not find comfortable.
‘Pampering should only ever go as far as keeping your pet happy and in good condition.
‘We would advise having a discussion with a vet before trying anything new if it is going to exceed basic grooming and care, or will use any products that may be harmful for animals.’