The cruel practice was being driven by social media influencers posting images of cropped-eared dogs, such as footballer Marcus Rashford, Little Mix singer Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Love Island's Jack Fincham.
PAUL HEANEY: Networks of breeders are offering to mutilate puppies to follow a social media trend, a BBC investigation has found. Cutting or “cropping” ears involves removing part of the ear flap for cosmetic reasons. One breeder told an undercover journalist it created a “striking” look for the American bully breed. The procedure is illegal in the UK, but breeders are offering fraudulent pet passports to imply it was done abroad…
BBC Wales Investigates traced a number of breeders who post images of cropped-eared dogs online. One breeder, Moheiz Adam, said it was “a shame” cropping was illegal as it gave dogs a “striking look”. He offered to sell an undercover journalist a puppy for £13,000, and said it would come with a pet passport and a microchip… During a video call, Mr Adam held up the puppy and, referring to its ear, said: “That will all come off.”
Commenting on the BBC’s evidence, Daniella Dos Santos, former president of the British Veterinary Association (BVA), said she was “devastated” by what it exposed. “Cropping of ears is an illegal mutilation is done for no other reason than… cosmetic reasons and the whole conversation throughout has been about how these dogs look. “It’s all for status. There are no health benefits to these dogs at all”…
Vanessa Waddon, from dog rescue charity Hope, has been caring for pups which have been mutilated, after they were seized from an illegal breeder by Cardiff council… Ms Waddon said she feared demand was being driven by social media influencers posting images of cropped-eared dogs, citing footballer Marcus Rashford, Little Mix singer Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Love Island’s Jack Fincham. “Whenever celebrities post things online, people inevitably think ‘oh that dog looks nice maybe I’ll get one like that,” she said…
The UK government has said the proposed Kept Animals Bill would restrict the importation of dogs with cropped ears and puppies under six months old. A Welsh government spokesman said it had a five year Animal Welfare Plan for Wales to tackle illegal dog breeding, including new regulation and was monitoring developments closely. But Ms Boyden said unless border staff check imported dogs, the law would not work… Ms Waddon added “you can have the best legislation in place, but unless it’s being enforced, is never going to be fully effective”. SOURCE…
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