Dog breeders offering to mutilate puppies as part of social media trend
Some dog breeders are offering to “crop” the ears of puppies to keep up with demand driven by social media, a BBC investigation has found.
The mutilating procedure involves cutting part of the American Bully breed’s ear flap to create a pointed look. The practice has been banned in the UK under the Animal Welfare Act, making it illegal.
The investigation revealed a number of breeders offered to clip the ears of puppies they believed they were selling to an interested buyer, who was actually an undercover BBC Wales journalist.
One breeder, who was selling puppies for £13,000, said it was a “shame” that cropping was illegal because it created a “striking look” in the dogs.
But Paula Boyden, from Dogs Trust, said there was “no justification at all” for cropping the dogs’ ears and warned that doing so could lead to infections or behavioural issues.
Some dogs whose ears have been cropped “don’t like people touching their ears”, she told the BBC, and others have difficulty communicating with their owners or other dogs without their ears.
According to the British Veterinary Association (BVA), ear cropping is an “unnecessary, painful mutilation with no welfare benefit”.
However, although the procedure is banned in the UK, it is not illegal to import and sell dogs with cropped ears, and it is not a specific offence to send dogs abroad to have their ears cropped.
Earlier this year, the BVA warned of a surge in illegal ear cropping over the last five years, with the number of reports increasing by 236 per cent since 2017.
Figures from a survey conducted by the BVA revealed that almost six in 10 (58 per cent) small animal vets have been presented with dogs with cropped ears in the last year.
Dobermans were the most commonly presented breed with cropped ears, with American Bulldogs and Cane Corsos the second and third most likely breeds to be seen.
“This rise in numbers may be fuelled by the increase in celebrities and social media influencers showcasing their cropped-ear dogs on platforms like Instagram, leading to the glamourisation and normalisation of this barbaric practice,” said the organisation.
Celebrities such as footballer Marcus Rashford, Little Mix singer Leigh-Anne Pinnock and former Love Island contestant Jack Fincham have posted photographs of their cropped-ear dogs on social media.
Vanessa Waddon, from dog rescue charity Hope, told the BBC: “Whenever celebrities post things online, people inevitably think ‘oh that dog looks nice, maybe I’ll get one like that’.
“While [the celebrities] may have imported the dogs legally, there are people cropping illegally in the UK to meet demand,” she added.
BVA president, Justine Shotton, told The Independent: “This investigation lifts the lid on the scale and ease with which unscrupulous breeders across the UK are using loopholes in the law as a smokescreen for carrying out ear cropping, a painful and cruel surgical procedure that has no medical or welfare benefits for the dogs.
“Vets and animal welfare organisations have been raising concern over the dramatic increase in the number of dogs with cropped ears. Earlier this year, following our successful #CutTheCrop campaign and petition with The FOAL Group, we were delighted to welcome the government’s commitment to ban the import of cropped dogs.
“The strength and depth of support for the campaign has signaled loud and clear that we need to do whatever it takes to prohibit imports, but there is also work to do to root out illegal practice in the UK.
“We hope that this investigation raises widespread awareness about this unethical and illegal dog breeding practice and highlights the importance of always buying a puppy responsibly, picking health over looks.”
A spokesperson for RSPCA Cymru added: “Ear cropping is a painful and unnecessary practice in which part or the whole of a dogs’ ears are removed or surgically altered. It does not benefit the dog in any way and can actually be detrimental to their health, behaviour and welfare.
“Dogs should never be mutilated for cosmetic purposes and, while this practice has been illegal in this country for a long, long time, we’re hugely concerned by any reports that this activity is still being carried out domestically, contrary to the law.”
“We fear that images being shared on social media and used within advertising as well as high-profile sports stars and celebrities buying dogs with cropped ears is making the look more popular. This may be influencing others to do the same - and, worryingly, may even be increasingly perceived as a ‘normal’ look for some breeds of dog.”
The spokesperson urged anyone who suspects any illegal ear cropping activity to contact the RSPCA’s emergency line on 0300 1234 999.
The Independent has reached out to the representatives for Rashford, Pinnock and Fincham for comment.
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