Animal cruelty at its cutest: Ren Netherland’s photographs of dog grooming competitions are actually unbelievable

Sometimes in life, it can be hard to get what you really want. Like, say you want a pet dog, but would also like to own a tiger, an elephant, Big Bird and Mickey Mouse. How do you even grapple with that? If you’re one of the obviously insane people who enters dog grooming competitions, you handle it by treating your animal like a bush in need of some extreme topiary action and turn poor Fido into a parade float.

Ren Netherland is a photographer who traveled across the country looking for the most over-the-top grooming competitions and then documented the heck out of them. Really, this is a terrible thing to do to an animal, but boy, is it ever something to look at.

All right, if Mickey’s a mouse, Donald’s a duck, and Pluto’s a dog, then when in the ever loving hell is this thing?

Move over, liger, the tigelephant is definitely the coolest animal hybrid.

For those kids who are really into the movie “Madagascar,” but also want to spend the rest of their days living in abject fear.

A buffalo is actually a much cooler pet than a dog.

This living “Sesame Street” vignette is really all about that little Oscar in the trashcan.

Meet Lisa Frank’s wet dream.

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