Diversity star Jordan Banjo has joined a long list of “celebs” parading their cropped and docked dogs on social media despite the ear cropping ban. They all protest either ignorance or indifference to the fact that it fuels the demand, their only interest being the “coolness” of it.
When he posted pictures in December 2020 of his new dog Sergio with cropped ears they were thankfully met with a barrage of condemnation on social media which he was apparently surprised at. In his defence he is quoted as saying:
“I can’t pretend to have known all of the information on cropped ears, I don’t even want to pretend to be misinformed, to be blunt I didn’t even think about it in the first instance. I didn’t get his ears cut, I didn’t even import him. It upsets me to think that Sergio or any dog goes through this purely to look ‘cooler’” Jordan Banjo
Such obviously bogus outpourings of ignorance and upset over the cruelty involved highlights the mentality of people who insist on treating animals as cool and cute objects.
Cropping is purely cosmetic and has no health benefits.
There has been an ear cropping ban of dogs in the UK since 2006 when the Animal Welfare Act made it illegal. But it is still an increasingly common sight to see these dogs being openly paraded in U.K streets and on social media. This is because ear cropped dogs are readily available from many countries in Europe and the US. There is no ban on importing them making a mockery of the law.
There are companies that legally import dogs with cropped ears into the UK and there is nothing to stop owners taking their dogs to abroad to get it done and return with them.
Cropping is purely cosmetic and has no health benefits. It is an inhumane and unnecessary procedure that serves no purpose other than changing the appearance of a dog. It is done more for the vanity of the owner than the well-being of the dog and because of a perverse belief that it makes the dogs look the way they “should” look.
The law needs to be tightened making it illegal to be possession of one. Once a dog’s ears or tail are mutilated there is obviously no going back but prosecuting anyone with a puppy with newly cropped ears allied with hefty fines and publicity would soon send the word out and help deter people.
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