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An NBA fan who went viral this year for bringing his dog to a game is now in hot water. The man is now being fined by Miami-Dade County for a violation.
The fan dyed his puppy yellow to look like the Pokémon character, Pikachu.
Erik Torres was cited for “unlawfully possessing, selling or otherwise transferring within the County any dyed or artificially colored rabbit or other animal.”
That citation carries a fine of around $200 according to a report from NBC South Florida, and it’s apparently not the first time Torres has been under fire. Miami-Dade Animal Services says they’ve issued 16 tickets to the dog owner’s company, World Famous Puppies, since March of 2021.
Torres went viral earlier this year for taking his yellow-dyed puppy to a Miami Heat game, and the Pikachu inspired look caused quite the stir on social media with many being critical of Torres.
One Twitter user wrote, “Good. That’s awful. Not a toy,” after hearing of the fine.
Torres says he’s done the research on the dye and believes it’s safe enough to eat. He has no plans on washing the color from the puppy’s coat. He was back sitting courtside with his companion at Saturday’s Bulls vs. Jazz game in Chicago.
The bizarre situation is continuing to make headlines, and the most recent citation has Eric Torres reeling a bit.
“At the end of the day, I had no idea this ordinance even existed… We’re not allowed to have possession of it, so it’s been kind of freaking me out.”
He’s since moved outside of Miami-Dade County with his Pikachu-colored puppy.
Related: Dog hilariously invades court during college basketball game