Rusty the Labrador sporting a look that stopped shoppers in their tracks. Photo / Kelly Cameron
Rusty the Labrador sporting a look that stopped shoppers in their tracks. Photo / Kelly Cameron
Six-month-old Labrador pup Rusty had shoppers in Whangārei grinning as he was spotted peering out a vehicle window at a local supermarket, sporting an unusual look.
The pup’s owner, 20-year-old Princesse Cooper, said the cheeky pup was sound asleep when she snuck up on him with a makeup penciland drew some funny eyebrows on him.
“He’s been getting into everything lately, especially stealing my socks, and after one too many missing pairs, I decided to have a bit of fun,” Cooper said.
She learned what a hoot her prank had been for shoppers after a relative said she’d seen a picture of Rusty on social media.
The post, started by amused passer-by Kelly Cameron and featuring a pic she took of Rusty perched in the driver’s seat grinning out the window with his new brows. It racked up more than 800 “likes” and about 100 comments.
"Who's a lovely boy?" Rusty happily poses for a pic at home. Photo / Princesse Cooper
“If this is your dog, you absolutely made my day with the brows,” Cameron wrote, keen to hear the story behind the makeover.
Cooper said the reactions have been priceless. “Lots of laughs, people finding it cute and saying it suits his cheeky personality – it’s been hilarious.”
Commenters joined in the fun, one saying Rusty looked like he was “off to the library to do a little browsing”. Another tagged a local beauty salon, asking if it was responsible for the stylish touch. Others shared photos of similar stunts they’d pulled on their own pampered pooches.
“The idea was really just a light-hearted joke that matched his mischievous nature,” Cooper said. She was thrilled it brought so many smiles.
And, for anyone concerned, Cooper reassured: Rusty wasn’t left in a hot car at the supermarket. In fact, he was on his way to his favourite swimming beach, where he also drew a lot of laughs.
Sarah Curtis is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on a wide range of issues. She has nearly 20 years’ experience in journalism, most of which she spent court reporting in Gisborne and on the East Coast.
