(CNN) — A Chinese cafe is under fire for painting dogs as pandas to stand out in the competitive pet cafe market.
The cafe — in the southwestern city of Chengdu, close to the native home of the giant panda — also offers a dyeing service for people who want to transform their own pets into pandas.
The dogs interacted with diners as they enjoyed food and drink in the cafe.
Zhang Lang/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images
In the video, the painted “pandas” can be seen roaming around in the cafe, where customers were encouraged to interact with them while they enjoyed their meals.
However the gimmick provoked angry comments from pet lovers on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter.
“While they look adorable, dyeing the pet this way can easy hurt them,” one user commented. “Why did he have to treat the dogs like that?” Another questioned.
The cafe has drawn criticism on Chinese social media platforms for neglecting animal welfare.
Zhang Lang/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images
“Unnatural beauty procedures that don’t benefit an animal’s personal health and well-being should never be performed,” PETA said in a statement.
Dubbed “tiger dogs,” many reportedly failed to live more than a week after the dye was applied.