Janice Johnson of Wexford County says she picked up her one dog, RJ, on Monday from Jasmine’s Pet Salon in Lake City and discovered the dog’s ears and tail had been dyed bright green without her permission.

The change to RJ, an off-white dog, came after a grooming session that lasted seven hours, Johnson said; she described the moment of discovery as shocking and upsetting. Pet owners generally expect to be able to decide what grooming and cosmetic treatments are performed on their animals and to give or withhold consent for non-essential procedures. The owner of the salon, Leandra Marie Boyles, later made comments that acknowledged the dyeing and framed the decision as part of creating colorful pets.

Johnson described RJ’s new look bluntly. “I was just in shock,” she said, adding that the groomer had treated her pet like an art project. The green dye altered the dog’s ears and tail, visible against RJ’s off-white coat, which Johnson felt was an unauthorized and harmful treatment. Many veterinary sources warn that dyeing pets’ fur, especially with products made for humans, can pose health risks like skin irritation and allergic reactions.

At the salon, Boyles — identified in reports as the owner of Jasmine’s Pet Salon — offered an explanation and further options for the color. According to later online coverage summarizing Johnson’s messages from the groomer, Boyles expressed that she wanted to make pets colorful and wrote that it was ‘sometimes better to ask for forgiveness than permission.’ This playful approach reflects a broader trend in pet fashion and grooming, driven by the rising spending on appearance-focused products and services.

Johnson questioned the length of the appointment and what had been done to achieve the look. “I can’t imagine what you would do for seven hours to a small dog like RJ,” she said, describing her anxiety after the pickup on Monday.

The incident has drawn local attention and appeared in regional reporting; the episode and accompanying images were reported by UpNorthLive and were later covered more broadly online, including at Snuggle.

Johnson expressed a mix of disbelief and personal frustration over the unauthorized change. “Treating my dog like her personal I don’t know art project. I’m the one that has to live with this,” she said.

Some of the exchanges between owner and groomer, as reported, included offers to alter the color further and language that suggested the groomer prioritized a playful aesthetic. Those comments, including Boyles’s remark about asking forgiveness rather than permission, were part of what Johnson cited when describing the interaction.

RJ’s ears and tail remain visibly dyed bright green, a striking contrast to his natural coat, and the owner has made her reaction public. “Some people might find it cute. I love my dog. It doesn’t matter what he looks like. But, it just looks ridiculous to me,” Johnson said.

The episode unfolded in Lake City, within Wexford County, and involved a single dog, RJ, who returned from the salon with the unauthorized dye. The salon owner, Leandra Marie Boyles, is identified as the owner of Jasmine’s Pet Salon in accounts of the incident.

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