When Abe Geary decided to propose to his fiancee Anna, he didn't take the one knee approach - instead he spray painted his dog with the words 'Will you marry me'.

Two years after the proposal and 24 months of research later, Mr Geary, 35, from Carpinteria California, launched PetPaint, the world's first pet-safe body paint.

Now, Mr Geary's romantic gesture has spiralled into a business venture which gives animal owners the opportunity to change their pet's outfit every day: from a wild tiger, to a zebra or even a hippy.

The product is completely harmless to dogs and has even been given the thumbs up by animal groups.

It can either be washed off or left to wear off over time.

PetPaint comes in spray cans of eight colors, each costing $10 dollars or £6. Stincil kits are also on sale.

The 35-year-old entrepreneur from Carpinteria, California, said: 'PetPaint was born when I decided I wanted to propose to my girlfriend Anna by painting 'will you marry me?' on my Giant Schnauzer Billie.

'I looked for a paint that would be safe but there was nothing on the market.

'I ended up finding a non-toxic material which did the job and thankfully Anna said yes but it got me thinking that there could be a place in the market for a dog-safe paint.'

Two years later and after extensive research, he launched PetPaint and the reaction has been 'amazing', he said.

Mr Geary said he aimed to change the stigma attached to pet pampering.

He said: 'I know colour on dogs from those crazy Americans has been perceived a little tongue in cheek but that is where I am trying to change the views of the world.'

'In the past it was referred to as 'extreme grooming' and that is all it was - weird designs being paraded around as a spectacle.

'That stigma is what we set out to change.'

Mr Geary said that whereas colouring dogs in the past was time consuming and sometimes involved bleaching, PetPaint is quick and harmless.

'It gets the thumbs up from vets and animal groups,' he said.

And pets prefer the paint to traditional fabric costumes because they don't know they look any different, Mr Geary said.

The product dries in just 20 seconds and can either fade over time or be washed off.

'When I first launched PetPaint I thought it would just be a novelty iteam but it has tranformed into a professional product used by top dog grooming salons,' the businessman said.