A tourist who wanted to get inked while holidaying in Bali was left mortified after a tattoo of her dog ended up looking like ‘male genitalia’. Kayla Robertson wanted to find the best way to show the world how much she loves her pooch Penny, whom she got more than a year ago. The 26-year-old from Perth, Australia, said she decided that a small tattoo would be the most beautiful way to celebrate her adoration for her gorgeous 18-month-old Australian Shepherd. And during a relaxing holiday in Bali, Indonesia, the medical receptionist thought it would be the perfect time to finally get inked.
After taking a recent photograph of Penny into a tattoo parlour located in the tourist hub of Kuta on April 26, Kayla forked out one million Rupiah (£54) to get a tattoo on her right forearm. But after less than thirty minutes under the needle, Kayla said she was ‘shocked’ after the tattoo artist suddenly said they were finished- despite her feeling that the piece was only ‘half-done’. Wanting to take some time to look at her new tattoo properly in the hope that she might get used to it, Kayla left the parlour without saying anything. But after showing her friends her new ink, Kayla was left mortified after she realised her precious pooch’s nose seemed to resemble ‘male genitalia’.
She said: “I went to Bali for a wedding, and I wanted to get a tattoo while I was there. “I knew I wanted to get one of my dog Penny, so I bought a photo of her with me. “He did the outline of her face perfectly, so I was feeling good about it. But then he started doing the eyes and they looked all wrong. “I saw that the nose looked weird and a bit crooked, but I couldn’t really tell what is actually looked like at that point because it was upside down on my arm. “Then I noticed he wasn’t adding any shading or doing anything more to it. But I just thought, well he is the artist and he knows best.
“But suddenly he just finished, and it looked half-done. I didn’t know what to say, I was in shock. “I thought it might just take some time, but after looking at it properly I knew I hated it. “Then I realised that Penny’s nose looked like male genitals, and then my friends all started telling me the same thing. “They started laughing about it, I can see the funny side of it now but at the time I was crying and panicking. “Poor Penny. It was just awful. I felt like I was in one of those tattoo nightmares shows.”
In a desperate bid to fix the tattoo, Kayla appealed for help online and was pointed in the direction of a different tattoo studio which had lots of good reviews. And after forking out another one million Rupiah (£54), Kayla breathed a sigh of relief after her beloved pooch Penny ‘actually looked like a dog’ – and no longer resembled ‘male genitalia’. She said: “I knew I couldn’t leave Bali with this tattoo on my arm. It was just hideous. “I sought advice online for a good tattoo studio and was recommending another one nearby. “I visited them, and they couldn’t believe what they were seeing. But thankfully, they were able to fix it.
“It was amazing seeing them transform this hideous tattoo into something I actually love. “I was so relived, and even gave the tattoo artist a big hug when he was finished. My dog is my entire world, so I was so happy to have a tattoo that actually looks like her. “You really need to do research before getting a tattoo in Bali. It’s good to find an individual artist that you love instead of the studio. “It will make for a hilarious story when people ask about my tattoo. I’m really happy with it now.”