Jordan Banjo, another celeb flouting the UK ear cropping ban.

Jordan Banjo with Sergio

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.

Doberman ear cropping splinted ears

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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Author: John Brookland

John Brookland is an animal welfarist, and amateur historian. He authors two popular blogs: animalrightsandwrongs.uk and animalrightsandwrongs.com with a monthly worldwide readership of thousands. He has written seven books on his exploits helping animals, also on social history and a book on the war horses of World War One. During his long and varied career which has taken him round the world, he has unfortunately witnessed most of the horrors of animal cruelty there is to see and has gained extensive insight into most animal welfare issues which he uses to write his blogs. He is now retired and still travelling the world with his partner to view wildlife and wild places before they and he disappear.