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Joy Douglas regularly takes her dog Cici to a professional salon which used beet juice and sometimes Kool Aid to dye her little beautiful dog bright pink. The dog has gone through the ordeal for over four years now, much to the chagrin of the people at the Humane Society of Boulder Valley and the matter came to a head March 1 when city officials fined Ms Douglas the hefty fine.

The dog owner was upset and has taken on an attorney to get rid of the fine. If you think the odds are in favor of Ms Douglas, think again. She might have a strong case because she has pioneered a very effective way of campaigning for a good cause. But officials at the Humane Society, her fiercest enemy, explained to a TV station called the Daily Camera that Ms Douglas had received several warnings, based on a city code stipulation which says "No person shall dye or color live fowl, rabbits, or any other animals."

That is a rule the city abides by to prevent animal injustice from taking place at Easter time.

Ms Douglas retorted to the Daily Camera report by speaking to 7News. She told them "I can understand something done in large vats and it's not done with a lot of animal care by people who don't know their animals. But I have a personal connection to my animal, I would never hurt my animal, I have a business full of little beautiful animals that are treasures for not only myself but the community."

You get the picture; one hell of an argument is brewing here. The televised version of the story is on a roller coaster trip around the US, because ABC news is devoting attention to Ms Douglas' mishaps.

A court hearing is scheduled for April 7, to prevent "Cici [from] being stripped of her civic duty."