Poodle Grooming Gone Wild!

Photographer Ren Netherland travels the U.S. documenting wacky grooming shows. Check out his best shots!
By People Staff
Updated September 03, 2009 03:04 AM

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FURRY FAIRY

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Bibidi Babidi Boo! This ethereal poodle competed at a 2002 show in Burbank, Calif. According to the Daily Mail, dogs are usually colored before they arrive, then groomers transform them on-site before their contests.

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CATTLE CONTROL

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Oh, give me a ho-o-o-me where the buffalo, er, dogs, roam! A shy poodle is totally transformed into a buffalo in this picture, from a 2006 competition in Burbank. Ren Netherland, 48, is the only professional photographer allowed to snap shots of the pups featured in these shows.

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FIRST DOWN

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Let’s go Steelers! This pup looks ready to toss the pigskin at a contest in Hershey, Pa., in 2005. We’re glad to see it’s wearing a helmet.

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BUMPED UP

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Think pooch Cindy offers rides through the desert? For a 2007 competition in Burbank, she was transformed into a one-humped camel. “Watching the owners turn these balls of hair into something so intricate and detailed really does baffle anyone watching,” Netherland tells the Daily Mail.

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FEATHERED FRIEND

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Cindy again dresses elaborately, this time as a peacock, for a 2008 competition in Burbank, sporting color from the tips of her ears to her little toenails. Dogs are generally dyed using a non-permanent, powdered paint spray applied with blow pens.

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QUACKED UP

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I don’t wanna be a chicken, I don’t wanna be a duck – so I’ll be a dog styled with pluck! Cindy makes yet another appearance at a Burbank show, this time dressed as pretty poultry. Don’t even think about putting this bird in the oven!

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SNAIL TAIL

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Slow and steady wins the competition! Cindy comes out of her shell, posing as a snail among flowers. Winners can reportedly earn up to $1,000 per show for their stellar looks. That’ll buy a lot of kibble!

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A PIRATE'S LIFE

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Arrgh mateys! Captain Jack Sparrow – or rather, a poodle in his likeness – captures the 2008 competition in Burbank. Hope that gun isn’t loaded!

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FLOWER POWER

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A pretty poodle shows off its lovely flower design in 2009. Just add water and keep near sunlight!

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MAGIC AND MYTHS

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Don’t slay this dragon – it barks! “The dogs seem to love the whole experience,” says Netherland. “The transformation they go through is simply spectacular.”

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SADDLE UP

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“The one that shocked me the most was the horse,” Netherland says of this poodle, groomed for a 2004 event in Hershey. “The way it looked when it arrived at the show, you had no clue whatsoever what they were planning.”

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BEARY CUTE

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Panda or poodle? This pup may take the cake for craziest transformation, being made over into a cuddly panda bear for a 2008 contest in Hershey. Bamboo not included.

Click here to see more extreme grooming on PEOPLE Pets!

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