Illinois Groomer Faces Backlash After Dying Dog’s Hair Like the Grinch for Christmas

A groomer in Freeport, Illinois, is facing extreme backlash after she dyed a dog’s hair green to make him look like the Grinch for Christmas.

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♬ You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch – Tyler, The Creator

Ashley Spielmann decided to dye her miniature schnauzer Rizzo to look like the Grinch and went to local groomer Hailey Degner. When Hailey shared her work on TikTok, it blew up, and while she received some supportive comments, many were upset that she would dye the dog’s hair.

“To be honest, I ignore all the bad comments. He is happy and healthy and fits the role perfectly,” Spielmann, Rizzo’s human told USA Today. “The coloring our groomer used is vegan and cruelty-free and totally safe for animals.”

The groomer said that she uses products that are marketed as pet-safe, and she would not provide the service to an animal who was showing signs of distress or had a history of difficulty with other grooming methods. Rizzo has been a regular of Degner since she was a small puppy.

“We know well before if they’re going to even be able to get the hair coloring, just based off of previous grooming experiences,” she said. “(Rizzo’s) very used to the grooming process and literally didn’t care before, didn’t care during, and didn’t care after he left. It was just another grooming day for him.”

Danger told USA Today that she would never color a dog just because their human wanted it if it would require the dog to become stressed out.

A report by Allure said that dyeing a dog’s hair can be safe as long as the products are marked as safe for pets.

Three states, Maine, South Carolina, and Florida have laws that make dyeing a dog’s hair and other animals illegal. Dyes can change the smell of the dog’s fur and interfere with how other animals or people treat them, which can increase psychological distress.

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