Heat Fan Gets Fined For Dying His Dog To Look Like Pikachu

Maybe it seemed like a good idea at the time, but a Miami Heat fan has been given a $200 fine for dying his dog to look like the Pokemon character Pikachu.

Erik Torres owns a puppy store in Doral, Florida called World Famous Puppies. He decided to take one of his dogs, a Pomeranian named Zaza, and dye it to look like Pikachu.

Why?

Because his daughter likes Pokemon; that's why.

The dog was first seen by Miami-Dade Animal Services in December during an inspection.

"Pikachu was in the store,' said Kathleen Labrada, assistant director of Miami-Dade Animal Services. 'There was a staff member holding the dog in her lap. We obtained a photograph at that time."

Once the Pikachu doppelganger was out of the bag, there was no sense hiding it. Not that they ever really were. The shop's Instagram account refers to the dog as its mascot. Plus, Torres even started taking Zaza with him to sit courtside at Heat games.

I didn't know you could show up to an NBA game with your pooch in tow. I guess if you pay enough money they'll pretty much let you do what you want.

Torres' Pikachu Pomeranian Ran Afoul Of A County Ordinance

Torres' attempt at showing off his Pikachu-ed Pomeranian caught the eye of authorities who noted that he had run afoul of Miami-Dade County Ordinance 5-12A. In case you're not up to speed on Miami area city ordinances, that's the one about it being illegal to be in possession of a dyed or artificially colored animal.

That seemss like a pretty cut-and-dry $200 for the county's coffer. However, Torres said he did his research before having Zaza done up as Pikachu.

"I did my research, and I knew that in no way or form would this affect my animal, my dog," Torres said. He didn't even do the dying himself. He had sent Zaza to some family in California and they gave her the Nintendo makeover.

However, according to the Daily Mail, this isn't Torres' first run-in with Miami-Dade officials. They report that Miami-Dade Animal Services has already issued his store 16 citations. They stem from allegations that he is selling sick dogs, something that Torres denies.

Follow on Twitter: @Matt_Reigle