Woman, 42, hits back at trolls after dyeing her dog's hair pink

Woman, 42, hits back at trolls who slam her for dyeing her dog’s hair PINK – as she reveals she spends HUNDREDS of dollars a year to create the pooch’s unique ‘unicorn’ look

  • Angela Schoonover, 42, from San Diego, California, dyes her dog’s hair 
  • She has faced backlash from dog lovers who brand her ‘cruel’ for the practice
  • But the dog groomer insisted Zoe loves looking like a ‘unicorn’

A dog owner has defended dyeing her poodle purple, pink, and blue after trolls accused her of animal cruelty. 

Angela Schoonover, 42, from San Diego, California, adopted one-year-old pooch Zoe in May last year.

She started experimenting with the color of Zoe’s fur, handing over $500 a year on dye, so that her furry friend could have an ‘unconventional, playful look.’ 

And although Angela uses vegan, pet-safe dye, haters still accuse her of abusing Zoe because the pup doesn’t have a say in how she looks. 

Angela Schoonover, 42, from San Diego, California, has defended dyeing her poodle purple, pink, and blue after trolls accused her of animal cruelty

She adopted one-year-old pooch Zoe in May 2022 and has been obsessing over her looks ever since

Angela originally planned to sign Zoe up for competitions, where groomers give their dogs a makeover and the best-looking pups take home the prize.

But because she wanted her furry friend to look different from the others, she opted for dyeing her hair various shades of purple and pink instead.

And while she thought it would be a hit among other dog lovers, not everyone agreed. 

Angela – who owns Muse Dog Spa in Carlsbad, California – said: ‘Zoe is a very happy, loving dog. But when videos of her go viral, they seem to get a lot of hate.

‘People say it isn’t fair to do that to a dog, that she doesn’t have a choice and I don’t know for certain whether she likes it or not.

‘But when people actually meet her in person, they can see exactly how she embodies her look.’

The dog lover insisted that she could read Zoe’s mind and knew she wanted to look like a ‘colorful, magical unicorn.’

Angela uses dye created by pet-safe brand Opawz – and says it’s ‘more or less like dyeing fur with blueberry juice.’

And while she thought it would be a hit among other dog lovers, not everyone agreed

She makes sure the dye she uses is gentle on Zoe’s fur and 100 per cent vegan – despite strangers assuming she uses human-grade hair dye.

‘All the dye I use is pet-friendly and non-toxic. I think it’s important to stress that – it’s incredibly gentle, and it just feels like a constant massage for Zoe,’ she explained.

While the dog groomer initially adopted Zoe to compete in grooming competitions, she didn’t think the ‘standard’ look would suit her personality.

‘I wanted to compete – but now I probably won’t. In the grooming world, you’re only doing standard cuts like a German trim – which is the classic, puffy-haired poodle look,’ Angela said.

‘I’ve gone through this internal battle of wanting to be respected as a groomer, but also wanting to be playful and doing more creative cuts. Zoe’s current haircut is called a Disney cut – which isn’t currently recognized as an American Kennel Club (AKC) standard style.’

She chose not to have her pup compete because Zoe wouldn’t be able to dye the majority of her fur.


The dog lover insisted that she could read Zoe’s mind and knew she wanted to look like a ‘colorful, magical unicorn’

‘You can only dye 10 to 15 per cent of the dog in order to compete in grooming competitions – but I wanted her to be beautiful.

‘Now, she’s over-the-top, beautiful, and pretty.

Angela first experimented with dyeing Zoe’s fur on July 4 last year in honor of Independence Day.

‘I started dyeing her feet. I did them red, white, and blue for the Fourth of July,’ she said.

‘And she inspires me so much – she’s easy-going, fun-loving, and energetic without being overwhelming.

‘She’s flirty to people who take selfies with her – she loves kissing. And she’s a total ham, playing up to the camera and posing.

‘It’s impossible not to like her when you meet her in real life.’

While Angela is no longer considering entering Zoe in grooming competitions, she credits the pooch with being the ‘spokesdog’ for Muse Dog Spa.

‘We’re called Muse – and she is literally my muse. I’ve switched gears from entering her into competitions and now, she’s like my marketing team,’ she said.

‘Her pictures are all over our branding and website – she’s our spokesdog.’

Angela also owns two other dogs – Gala, a four-year-old 6lbs Japanese Chin, and Bentley, a 10-year-old 35lbs Fox Hound.

In the last year, Angela has invested about $1,269 into Zoe – including the cost of fur dye and grooming products

Zoe’s different dye looks over the last few months have ranged from purple to red, white, and blue paws, and even an orange, yellow, and red sunset look

Zoe tends not to recognize her own strength and loves bounding around with Gala – despite being 50lbs herself.

Angela explained: ‘She’s incredibly gentle. She plays tug-of-war with Gala and Bentley – she lets them crawl all over her.

‘She’s just a sweetheart – if she sees us carrying around the little dog, she’ll stand up and want to give us hugs.’

In the last year, Angela has invested about $1,269 into Zoe – including the cost of fur dye and grooming products.

But she plans to enroll her in private training to become a therapy dog, which has set her back $888.

‘For me, the training has been the biggest investment into Zoe’s future. We’re working towards her becoming a therapy dog and visiting hospital patients,’ Angela said.

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