Farrah Abraham has riled up critics after showing off her pets’ new looks. The Teen Mom alum took to her Instagram Story on Dec. 15 to discuss her mental health and well-being, joined by her two dogs, both sporting colorful new haircuts. “Check out Billionaire’s haircut and Cupcake’s hair, too,” she remarked, displaying their dyed fur in blue and purple. Blue patches of fur were throughout Billionaire’s body, while Cupcake had purple patches. Abraham, 31, assured her followers that the canines were well cared for, adding, “The dogs have better haircare and haircuts than adults do now. It’s amazing.” However, many people weren’t convinced, with some to a Teen Mom subreddit to bash her for dyeing her pets’ hair. This isn’t the first time Abraham has faced criticism and accusations of animal abuse for coloring her dogs’ fur.
In March 2020, TMZ spoke to the reality star about another controversial Instagram post she made at the time featuring a muzzled Cupcake with hot pink fur and her late Pomeranian Blue’s coat dyed..blue. Abraham described the backlash as “hate speech” and said her daughter was seeing a therapist because of it. In regards to Cupcake being muzzled, she captioned her Instagram video saying, “p.s. for those who do not know what dog training muzzles are for go to your nearest pet store and learn more and why they can be helpful in training.” Psychologist Marta Sarasúa from AnimalWised warns that dyeing fur should be avoided due to the possible physical and emotional harm to the animal.
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She mentions that while there is some debate about the safety of using animal-specific hair dye, “there is no doubt that human hair dye should never be used on an animal. These products use harsh and caustic chemicals which can burn the dog’s skin. When rinsing or using on hair on the face, the chemicals can easily migrate to the eyes and cause significant damage. If the dog has a skin sensitivity, the process can be even more dangerous.” With animal hair dye, lack of regulation is an issue. “Although products may claim to be cruelty-free and vegan, there are no regulatory bodies which are used to back up such claims….What we do know is that even so-called safe animal hair dyes use ingredients which are known to be caustic.” Sarasúa also said that dyeing a dog’s fur can also cause emotional trauma in the pet, camouflages the dog’s scent, which leads to communication problems, and encourages the objectification of animals.
