Ear Cropping is surging among Dog Breeders in Response to Social Media Trend

Ear cropping is the process of removing part of the ear flap on a dog’s head for aesthetic purposes. It provides a “striking” appearance to the American bully breed, according to one breeder interviewed by an undercover journalist.

The procedure is unlawful in the United Kingdom, but breeders are offering counterfeit pet passports to imply it was completed abroad.

Ear cropping is a procedure that has been around for centuries, but it has recently gained attention on social media.

There is a growing trend among dog breeders to crop the ears of their American bully puppies in response to this newfound popularity.

During the probe, one breeder offered to sell a BBC Wales undercover reporter a puppy for £13,000 and described clipping the dogs’ ears, which is against UK law under the Animal Welfare Act.

Paula Boyden from Dogs Trust said there was “no basis” for it and that it might cause health or behavioral problems in the dogs.

“Dogs will also engage in undesirable behaviors as a result of their inability to communicate with their ears, and without them, they may have difficulties communicating with their owners or other dogs,” says the website.

Caution: Material that may be disturbing

Mr. Adam declared as he displayed the puppy. He referred to the pup’s ear and stated, “That will all come off.” Daniella Dos Santos, a former president of the British Veterinary Association (BVA), was “disappointed” by what it revealed.

Cropping of ears is illegal mutilation, she said.

According to the article, “Mr. Adam told the undercover reporter that ears are cropped but not at birth.

He said that puppies are often born with upright ears but they are later bent over by their owners using string or tape.”

Though in the United States and one province in Canada cropping a dog’s ear is legal and considered as surgery.

It’s all about status. There are no health advantages to these dogs at all, says Mr. Adam.

Another breeder, Joshua Harty of Cardiff, confirmed that he could cut and provide a foreign pet passport and microchip to an undercover reporter.

It’s all completely unlawful, from the ear cropping to the fraudulent passports. This is a sketchy system in every aspect. ‘ve taken dogs to shows in Ireland, Spain, and of course I’ve had to cross borders, and I’ve carried these passports with me – they’re not worth the paper they’re written on.

Daniella Dos Santos

The article provides a detailed account of what took place during the investigation, but it’s disturbing and may be too graphic for some readers.

I suggest skipping over those parts if you are uncomfortable with that type of content.

“Yet again, these animals are viewed as commodities and money-making machines rather than living beings.

“The reason this is taking place is that there is a loophole that allows the importation of dogs with cropped ears, which serves only to obscure what’s going on in the UK,” she continued.

Mr. Harty was contacted by BBC Wales, but he did not respond.

Social media posts

After the pups were seized from an illegal breeder by Cardiff council, Vanessa Waddon, from Hope, has been caring for dogs that have had their ears cut.

The puppies were said to be worth £1,500 more after their ears were cut.

According to Ms. Waddon, she is concerned that demand for cropped-eared dogs is being driven by the rise in popularity on social media.

“Whenever celebrities put up something on the internet, people automatically assume, ‘Oh, that dog is gorgeous; I’d love to have one like it.’ ” she added.

“While the celebrities may have acquired their dogs lawfully in the UK, others are illegally clipping there to meet demand.”

Representatives for Mr. Rashford, Ms. Pinnock, and Mr. Fincham did not respond to requests from BBC Wales.

No sales are allowed

According to the UK government, the planned Kept Animals Bill would prohibit the importation of dogs with cropped ears and newborn puppies.

A Welsh government spokesman said it has a five-year Animal Welfare Plan for Wales to combat illegal dog breeding, including new legislation, and is keeping an eye on things.

However, unless border officials examine imported pets, Ms. Dos Santos fears that cropping will continue in the UK.

“A ban on importation is excellent, but a law is only as potent as its enforcement and at the moment there’s no information about what resources will be made available to check for cropped ears or if they appear underage,” she said.

“We have great enforcement personnel; they just don’t have the capacity to examine all of the instances that have cropped ears.”

Ms. Dos Santos ended by saying, “What we are asking for is to be able to retain the ears that are here already.

We’re not trying to stop people breeding dogs with cropped ears if they do it lawfully. There’s no reason why the UK couldn’t have a similar law on ear cropping as Spain.”