While the owner of Zaza — the neon yellow-dyed Pomeranian — might be the first to be fined by Miami-Dade County, NBC 6 Responds found he’s not the only one who has jumped on the trend. Alina Machado reports
He has the typical spunk of a Pomeranian but his look is anything but ordinary. Zaza looks like the character Pikachu — his fur dyed yellow, with red and black marks.
The Miami Pomeranian went viral late last year, after attending a Miami Heat game with his owner, Erik Torres, on December 26.
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"Now he is world famous," Torres said.
Zaza, the mascot of Torres' Doral puppy store, was first spotted by an investigator for Miami-Dade Animal Services during an inspection of the store. A few days later, after that Heat game appearance, the county slapped Erik with a citation for violating county ordinance 5-12(a), which says it is "...unlawful for any person to possess, sell or otherwise transfer within the County any dyed or artificially colored rabbit or other animal..."
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Torres became the first person to be cited under the ordinance, which has been in place since 2008 and is more restrictive than state law.
"If they're going to give me a fine, they've gotta give 300 other people here a fine or even more because then it would be unfair for just to fine me and not fine everybody else," he said.
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NBC 6 did an online search and easily found pictures of dogs appearing to be in Miami-Dade County, posted on social media pages over the years, showing a wide variety of coloring styles.
We also found Sandro Caudales, who told us in Spanish that he's been working as a groomer in Miami-Dade for the past five years. He is the owner of Muse Grooming, a mobile grooming service.
On the company's Instagram profile, he showcases some of his colorful creations. His last post is from July 7 of 2022. But he said when he found out about what happened to Torres, he was initially scared because he did not know what he had been doing for years was illegal in Miami-Dade.
"If they neglected to read the information provided, that could be a thing but we certainly do make an effort to ensure that they are aware of all applicable ordinances," said Kathleen Labrada, assistant director of Miami-Dade Animal Services.
She said the county gives groomers and pet dealers who are licensed in the county a packet that includes the ordinance related to artificially colored animals.
A spokesperson said the packet is provided in English, which the applicants “confirm and sign that they have read and understood.”
Labrada explained their department is complaint-driven, so their investigators are not proactively looking for people who are violating the ordinance but if they see a violation, they are going to take action, which is what she said happened with Zaza.
"This is the first time that we've encountered a dog that is artificially colored," Labrada said. "Clearly the ordinance is to protect the animals. We don't want animals being chemically dyed and subjected to anything that may cause them harm."
Caudales said he has dyed dozens of dogs over the years and has only used dyes that are specifically made for use on animals and are non-toxic.
He told NBC 6 none of his clients has ever had an allergic reaction to the products.
He also said he has stopped doing this type of grooming.
As for Torres, he told NBC 6 he planned to keep Zaza as Pikachu for as long as he can.
When asked if he regretted having him colored, his answer was simple: "Not at all."
The county said Torres has paid the citation related to Zaza's dye job.
Labrada said if he continues to color the dog's fur, they will issue additional citations.
