A pet lover who coordinates her tie-dye hair with her dog’s fur claims the canine has become a local celebrity – but online critics have accused her of ‘animal cruelty’.
Rachel Vedder, 37, from Groesbeck, Ohio, has spent the past 12 years dyeing her beloved pooch’s fur in an array of colors and unique designs, even sometimes matching her own hair.
Kitty, the Shih Tzu mix Bichon Frise, 13, is truly a work of art with her vibrant orange, pink, purple and yellow fur.
The pet groomer only uses animal-friendly products and dyes, but is still subect to trolling.
Rachel Vedder, 37, from Groesbeck, Ohio, has spent the past 12 years dyeing the fur of her dog Kitty, the Shih Tzu mix Bichon Frise, 13 (both pictured)
Rachel has painted everything from cartoon character’s such as Princess Peach and Mario (pictured left) to bold prints on Kitty. Pictured right: : Neighbour’s dog with sunset dye and Kitty with an owl
Rachel said she has always been a fan of bright colors, so her hair is currently bright orange with purple, while Kitty is bright orange with a rainbow tie-dye them (pictured)
Rachel said she always wanted to have a dog to make them a work of art and Kitty was the perfect candidate when she adopted her
Rachel has painted everything from cartoon characters such as Princess Peach and Major Lazer, to an owl and even a horse on Kitty’s fur over the years, as well as dyeing her with crazy patterns like colorful cheetah dots.
Rachel said: ‘I absolutely love matching my hair with hers. It’s great to be out and about whilst twinning with my dog.
‘I’ve always been a fan of bright colors, so my hair is currently bright orange with dip-dyed purple, Kitty is bright orange with a rainbow tie-dye theme.
‘It doesn’t take too long to dye Kitty’s hair, it takes around an hour to three hours depending on the design, and around one or two bottles of dog friendly dye.’
She continued: ‘I always knew that I wanted to have a dog to make them a work of art, and when I adopted Kitty, she was the perfect candidate.
‘Back then, dog friendly dyes weren’t a thing, so I had to get creative and dyed her with some red Kool-Aid that turned her pink!
Rachel said it can take up to three hours to dye Kitty’s fur and around one or two bottles of dog friendly dye. Pictured: Pink and blue Fornite llama
Rachel said she ‘absolutely loves’ matching her hair with Kitty (pictured aqua color dye and a tutu) and being out twinning
Rachel said she would get creative with red Kool-Aid before dog friendly dyes were a thing, which turned Kitty pink. Pictured: Watercolor tiger
Rachel said Kitty was a shy dog when she first got her, but dyeing her fur has brought out her confidence. Pictured: Horse design
‘I also used pet safe food coloring to dye her colors like yellow and green and she looked amazing.
‘She was a shy dog when I first got her but dyeing her fur has really brought out her confidence whether it be meeting other people or dogs, or just doing dog things.
Rachel said Kitty is always stopped when she’s on walks and has become quite the local celebrity for her vibrant fur but has received a mixed reaction online.
Rachel added: ‘Everyone loves Kitty’s fur, and she loves the attention that it gains her.
‘We’re always stopped for photos and pets when we’re out on walks, Kitty can never get enough.
Rachel said she used to use food coloring to dye Kitty shades like yellow and green, and has managed to create all colors of the rainbow
Rachel said she and Kitty are always stopped by people wanting to take photos. Pictured: Girl portrait on background of oranges and pinks
Rachel said people take videos and pictures of Kitty when they are driving around in her convertible car
‘My car is a convertible, and when we’re out driving, I see so many people taking videos and pictures of her.
‘When I first started dyeing her hair, a few trolls did come out of the woodwork online to say that what I was doing was animal abuse, but I’ve only ever used animal friendly products and dyes.
‘Dyeing your dog is honestly no different to putting a conditioner on them, or the staining you see in their food.
‘But I’ve had a mostly positive reaction when sharing pictures of Kitty through Instagram, and quite a few people have messaged me saying that they love her look!’
Rachel said trolls accused her of ‘animal cruelty’ when she first began dyeing Kitty, but she has only ever used ‘animal friendly’ products
Rachel said it can be expensive to dye Kitty, whose been decorated with unicorns and cheetah dots (pictured), but she redoes her rainbow tie-dye style every three months
Rachel’s favourite way to dye Kitty is in a rainbow tie-dye style, which she must re-do every three months due to fading.
She said: ‘I used to dye her hair in entirely different styles once a month.
‘It became expensive, especially when dog friendly hair dye started to become more popular.
‘I’ve done a lot of different styles over the years, and I love doing drawings on her back.
‘Some of the simpler drawings include a unicorn, and owl and cheetah dots, but one of my favourite drawings was Sid Hague from the film House of 1000 Corpses.
‘There’s been a lot of experimentation with colors over the years as well, but now she’s an old girl, I just do rainbow tie-dye, which makes her look fabulous.’
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