Miami, FL - A South Florida man has been fined by officials for dying his dog's coat yellow to look like a popular Pokemon character.
Erik Torres was issued a citation by Miami-Dade Animal Services after Torres dyed his pomeranian's coat yellow to resemble the popular Pokemon character Pikachu.
Torres caught the attention of city officials during an inspection of his Doral store, World Famous Puppies, on December 21st.
Assistant Director of Miami-Dade Animal Services Kathleen Labrada tells NBC Miami the investigation into Torres began when "Pikachu was in the store. There was a staff member holding the dog in her lap. We obtained a photograph at that time."
Labrada says it's "unlawful for any person to possess, sell or otherwise transfer within the County any dyed or artificially colored rabbit or other animal. No animal should be dyed, regardless of whether there’s an ordinance prohibiting that or not. You don’t really have any guarantee or any assurance that the chemicals they’re putting onto your pet are safe."
Miami-Dade Animal Services have issued World Famous Puppies 16 citations since they were licensed in March of 2021.
Many of the citations stem from customer complaints alleging the sale of sick dogs, however, Torres disputes the allegations and says he does what he can to keep his dogs healthy.
Torres says the dog in question is his family dog and is not for sale.
He also tells NBC Miami that the dye used on the pomeranian is safe enough for him to eat.
The citation issued carries a fine of $200.
Torres says he plans to appeal the citation.