Joy Douglas knows all about hair and dyes and making people pretty, but when she did a doggie dye job that turned her poodle pink, Boulder authorities say she went too far.

Never mind it was for a good cause and the dye was organic beet juice, Douglas faces a $1,000 fine under a city animal cruelty ordinance.

Douglas, who owns Zing Hair Salon, decided to color Cici pink to promote awareness of breast cancer.

“Customers come in and ask why the dog is pink,” she said. “So we tell them about breast-cancer awareness, about the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, and then we ask for a donation.”

But not everyone who saw Cici was amused. Some called the Humane Society of Boulder Valley, which enforces the city’s animal ordinances.

One of those ordinances, meant to discourage families from dying rabbits and chicks for Easter, prohibits the coloring or dying of animals.

“We’ve received a number of complaints about the dog,” said Lisa Pedersen, director of the humane society. “We’ve been out to talk with Joy several times. Finally, we gave her a ticket to let the courts decide the issue.”

Douglas, who drives a pink scooter and a pink car, will appear in Boulder Municipal Court this morning after an 8 a.m. rally outside the courthouse.

Mike McPhee: 303-954-1409 or mmcphee@denverpost.com