This Morning presenters Joel Dommett and Angela Scanlon welcomed Claire Hobson to the show today (May 29), who revealed that she’s had her dog’s ashes mixed into her semi-permanent eyeliner and tattooed onto her face.
Claire, who lost her beloved dog Patch at the age of 20, is a semi-permanent makeup artist. And, when Patch died, she decided to ask a colleague to pour the pooch’s ashes into tattoo ink and use them while tattooing on her eyeliner.
Stand-in host Joel explained that she wanted to do it so that she “could still see the world through his eyes”.
Woman who used dog’s ashes in tattoo appears on This Morning today
After welcoming Claire to the show, she told Joel and Angela about her decision to use Patch’s ashes in her tattoo ink.
“Dogs are loyal, they’re consistent, they show up every single day. It’s the purest form of love. They’re happy to see you every single day, for 20 years,” she started.
Claire added: “I went to pick his ashes up and I was already booked in to have my eyeliner tattooed that day. I was walking out of the Pets at Home store and he was in a carrier bag in a box and I just thought, I was about to go to Dubai to move there, and I thought I didn’t want to put his ashes in a suitcase.
“So I thought, oh I’m getting my eyeliner tattooed, I’m sure people have their loved ones tattooed into body tattoos, so why not just have it in my eyeliner? So I took it along and I said to my colleague Steph: ‘I know this is a really bonkers request, but do you think we can put some of these ashes in the pigment?'”
Asked what her friends, family and clients thought, Claire revealed: “I did think I’d have a different reception from people. But actually, the amount of people I’ve had messaging me asking me to do it… I think we underestimate actually the loss of pets and how we want to remember them.”
‘Very controversial,’ tattoo artist tells This Morning hosts
Joel and Angela then asked tattoo artist Luke Wintrip for his take.
“It’s a lot more popular than it has been in the past,” he admitted, revealing: “I’m doing at least one a week.”
However, he added: “In the tattoo industry it’s very controversial. Obviously it needs to be hygienic and sterile. And there is an argument that you’re putting foreign bodies in the ink.”
Explaining further, he added: “I used to just pop a bit of ash into the ink. But now there are companies that will take the ashes and they make a pre-sterilised tattoo ink. Then they send the ink to the customer and they bring it into the appointment. And that way we know everything’s safe.”
‘If you run out of eyeliner, cremate your dog’
This Morning viewers, however, were unconvinced by Claire’s decision to use her dog’s ashes in her inked-on eyeliner.
“Dogs are loyal and consistent. The least you can do for them is set them free to run by the sea….. not put them in friggin’ eyeliner,” said one.
Another asked: “And what are the side effects of having ashes tattooed?”
A third shared: “Makeup tip – if you run out of eyeliner, cremate your dog.”
This Morning viewers brand guest ‘disgusting’
Others attacked Claire. One commented: “It’s wholly disrespectful to a deceased animal to use it as makeup. Horrible woman.” Another said: “People putting their pet’s ashes into tattoos? That is disgusting.”
“Gone are the days when you just buried it down the back of the garden,” another commented.
Others did appear to understand why someone would want a memorial tattoo, but were unconvinced about using a pet’s ashes in the ink.
“I’m all for a memorial tattoo with ashes but having a pet as eyeliner is a new one to my ears!” they said.
Others pointed out that the sterilising process could mean the ashes were actually removed or washed away, commenting: “How can you sterilise ashes? Am I missing something here?”
“Sterilising ash… So there’s nothing left of the dog! So she has water mixed with her ink, not dog!” another added.
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So would you use your dog’s ashes in a tattoo? Tell us on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix.