Dip-dyed dogs

First New York, now Dalston — owners are getting their hounds hued in crazy colours. Karen Dacre feels the new puppy love
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2 April 2012

ITALIAN Vogue once declared the East End suburb of Dalston the coolest and most influential place in the world.

It is little wonder, then, that the latest off-the-wall trend to sweep the capital has ties to E8 — one to match the approach to fashion seen on the scenesters who stroll the Kingsland Road. But this latest rumbling on Planet Fashion has one notable difference: it’s restricted to the style plates of the canine variety. That’s right — brace yourselves, for the doggie dip-dye has landed in the capital.

Certain to go down like a lead balloon with animal welfare organisations, a Dalston-inspired colour technique is the latest development in the bizarre world of dog-grooming. While stylish dog-owners were once content to treat their pup to a biannual blowdry, now, it seems, man’s best friend is receiving the full cut-and-colour experience.

Bearing close resemblance to the two-tone hairstyles for which Alex Brownsell’s Dalston-based Bleach salon is revered, the doggy dip-dye — which uses non-harmful food colouring — features pastel shades of lilac, lemon and pink and comes in a variety of forms.

This bonkers bow-wow trend is growing at a rapid pace and is already a favourite with celebrities in New York (witness the pink-tinted pup of Pineapple Express actress Amber Heard and Google the fluorescent-coloured pups of celebrity apprentice contestant Aubrey O’Day), where the doggy dip-dye is offered at a host of pooch parlours.

Back on UK soil, the DDP service has also fallen into favour. Loved by outlandish hipster types who consider this bright approach to dog-grooming to be an efficient way to ensure that their pets stand out from the crowd, canine colouring techniques are now available across the capital.

Chiswick-based grooming centre Dogs Delight, which advertises a “creative grooming” service on its website, offers dog owners the chance to have a “funky trim” detailed on their pup’s coat ahead of a special occasion, while East End groomer Stuart Simons, who runs Groom Dog City in Hackney, says dog-dyeing is more popular than ever. “There is a definite rise in demand for this sort of grooming,” says Simons, who cites the super-groomed pups of New York as the driving force behind this trend. “The priority for me is the dog’s welfare but provided it is happy, healthy and safe, I’ll do what its owners ask.”

And the weirdest request he’s ever received? “That’s an easy one,” says Simons. “I once I gave a chihuahua a pink mohican.”

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