• Friend’s bichon frise Darcy coloured bubblegum pink to raise money for Breast Cancer
  
• Dye made from beetroot is harmless, dog-grooming salon owner says
• But TV vet Emma Milne warns that putting chemicals on a dog’s fur could cause it problems

A look to dye for: Emma Watson turns heads as she takes her friend’s dog Darcy for a walk after the treatment

Picasso had his rose period – and now so too does Emma Watson’s four-legged friend Darcy, after the Harry Potter actress headed out with a friend’s dog, who was dyed a shocking shade of bubblegum pink.

Thanks to a fashionable £90 treatment, the one-year-old bichon frise now has a look that might go down well  with pink-loving Hogwarts professor Dolores Umbridge – even if it has raised eyebrows among some animal-lovers.

Ms Watson was spotted with the pink pooch on the streets of Bethnal Green, East London, on Friday, after Darcy had the dye treatment at Groom Dog City.

Owner Stuart Simons said: ‘Pink is our biggest colour, but I do look after another bichon called Casper who comes in for a blue mohican.’

He said the beetroot-based semi-permanent dye is harmless. ‘All the dyes I use are completely animal-friendly. They are made from vegetable dye.

‘I wet the dog, rub it on like a shampoo, leave it for five minutes and then wash it off. Because Darcy is white, it takes really well.

‘She is a very calm dog, absolutely lovely, and she enjoys her groom.’

But TV vet Emma Milne said: ‘Dogs are not playthings; they are not dolls. If you are putting a chemical on a dog’s fur, you could cause that dog problems.

‘Even if the dye is completely safe – and the dye that Emma Watson has used should be absolutely fine – you are still altering the way the dog looks and smells to other  animals. Potentially, it could have an effect on the way that dog interacts with other dogs.

‘A dog is still a living object that hasn’t had any say on whether it wants to be pink.’

Unsurprisingly, Mr Simons – whose own dyed dogs have featured in campaigns for fashion house Mulberry – disagrees.

‘Lots of people say it’s cruel to dye a dog but I say, it takes no time, it doesn’t affect their skin and they don’t look in the mirror and go, “Oh, I’m so embarrassed.”

Before and after: How Darcy looked prior to the treatment (left) and while walking in Bethnal Green, London, on Friday (right)

‘Rather, they get so much attention in public and all the strokes and interaction, it can’t be a bad thing.’

He also believes his salon will see a sharp increase in ‘doggy dyes’ during the Olympics. ‘Oh yes,’ he said. ‘I expect to get a lot of requests for red, white and blue. And I may be able to do the Olympic circles on poodles.’

Ms Watson, 22, later took to her Twitter page to reassure fans that the reason for the canine’s bright colour was because her friend was raising money for Breast Cancer care.

No shaggy dog story: The Harry Potter actress later took to Twitter to reassure fans that the dog’s colour was a charity fundraising bid

However, the actress is not the only celebrity to have been spotted with a coloured dog.

Amber Heard, the actress romantically linked to Johnny Depp, has dip-dyed her Yorkshire terrier cerise, while Victoria Beckham often has her bulldog’s toenails painted a shocking pink.