That's not a tiger in the picture, but a dog dyed to look like a tiger. It's an example of a growing hobby in China: dying and trimming dogs' hair so that they look like different animals. The Chinese were very quick to embrace this bizarre trend, and it is not unusual for owners to take their dogs to grooming parlours where they are not only given a shampoo and trim, but a multi-coloured dye job as well. Recent figures show money spent on pets across the nation has seen nearly a 500 per cent increase between 1999 and 2008 – but, arguably, at the cost of their pets' dignity. What the animals might think about it is another matter