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Posted: 24th March 2023

Most people unaware cropping dogs’ ears illegal, survey finds
Cropping a dog's ears is illegal in the UK.
New survey from Battersea comes as charity sees increase in practice.

A new survey on public awareness of ear cropping has found that more than half of those surveyed did not know that cropping the ears of dogs was illegal in the UK.

Commissioned by Battersea, the survey found a widespread lack of awareness about the harmful procedure and what it involves. More than 80 per cent of all respondents were unable to correctly pick out pictures of dogs whose appearance had been surgically altered.

The survey also found worrying signs that social media posts may be making the practice seem normal, especially for younger people.

Over a third of 18-29-year-olds surveyed reported seeing images of cropped-eared dogs online, more than double the number of 40-55-year-olds who said they had seen such material.

This exposure to images of cropped ears might be influencing people’s attitudes to the practice, the charity believes. Respondents aged 18-39 years old were much more likely than over forties to not oppose ear cropping, with more than a fifth saying they were either ‘very’ or ‘quite’ comfortable with the idea of dogs undergoing the procedure.

Although cropping a dog’s ears has been illegal in the UK since 2006, it is still legal to import dogs with cropped ears. This loophole is contributing to a rise in the number of cropped-eared dogs being seen by charities, including dogs who need veterinary intervention due to harm caused by the practice.

Sarah Hughes, Battersea’s rehoming and welfare manager, said: “Despite it having been illegal to crop a dog’s ears for many years, that doesn’t seem to be stopping people from finding a way to still do it.

"We’re seeing an increasing number of dogs who’ve endured the barbaric procedure being brought to us – many of which are strays with microchips from other countries, so we suspect they’ve been imported into the UK before being sold or abandoned, all of which is still shockingly legal.”

The Kept Animals Bill, which formed part of the Government’s election manifesto, would make it illegal to import a dog with cropped ears. However, the legislation is currently stalled in Parliament, with no sign of progress being made.

Battersea, alongside other animal welfare organisations, has been campaigning for the Government to finally pass the legislation. It is calling on the public to write to the Prime Minister in support of the bill.



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