Zeus, a fifteen-week-old American tyrant, was sleeping in a makeshift kennel when the RSPCA and police inspectors discovered him among a litter of nine puppies, all with severed ears.
The unhealed wounds were red and crusty, the charity said; the scars of a practice which he describes as “mutilation” and “barbarism” and which it is illegal to practice in Great Britain.
Seized from a Bristol property in January, Zeus then had to undergo surgery because the staples used to seal the wound had become embedded in his right ear. Five months later he has been relocated and is doing well – but while his case would have been rare just a few years ago, vets and animal welfare charities say it’s something that is now increasing.
* Disclaimer – this article features an image of a dog having its ears cut off, which may disturb readers
Zeus was part of a litter of nine found at a property in Bristol
the RSPCA, PETA, Battersea Dogs Home and the British Veterinary Association (BVA) all see an “alarming” increase in dogs with cropped ears. Reports to the RSPCA increased from 14 in 2015 to 47 in 2019, then more than doubled over the next 12 months, to reach 101 in 2020, an overall increase of 621%.
Figures given exclusively to Sky News from a new BVA survey of 522 vets show that 58% say they have been presented with dogs with cropped ears in their practices in the past 12 months, with 61% d ‘between them saying that the numbers are up from the previous year. And Battersea Dogs And Cats Home says it only welcomed one dog with cropped ears in 2016 – up from 12 in 2020.
The proceedings against Zeus and his siblings were an extreme case and the owner was sentenced to 14 weeks in prison in May after pleading guilty to allowing the cultivation, admitting he paid £ 3,000 for someone someone else does it. This is said to have taken place illegally in the UK.
However, many other dogs are imported from others …
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-06-02 12:47:00
