The Pinkening

Photo by Erin Koski

Ru is pink again.

Photo by Erin Koski

Photo by Erin Koski

In bright sunlight he's sort of an eye-watering, mind-bending pink. He is so pink that, when he is not moving, few people immediately recognize him as a dog.












Heck, even when he's moving, people don't recognize him as a dog. Nobody's brain is primed to see something that pink scamper past and automatically assign it a species. My husband still gets weirded out when he catches Ru out of the corner of his eye. Ru has been dyed for the last four summers, and his (my husband's) subconscious still goes "WTF?!" every now and then.

Kids like to ask "Is that a pink dog?" Usually I say yes, but I want to say "Of course not, there's no such thing as a pink dog." I enjoy making everyone's day a little more surreal.

Photo by Erin Koski

As per usual, Ru is dyed with Manic Panic's Fuschia Shock. It is a nontoxic vegetable-based dye that I use on my own hair. I've gotten it in my own eyes. My cats have licked it off themselves. I am confident that this dye is safe for babies and tiny dogs.

Photo by Erin Koski

Photo by Erin Koski

I think he likes being pink.