West Midlands revealed as top hotspot in England for dogs being left mutilated after having their ears illegally cropped

New figures from the RSPCA have shown that 93 dogs in the region were reported to have had their ears cropped in the cruel procedure within the last three years.

The charity says the illegal act is often carried out with the aim of making the dog look “tough”, but it doesn’t benefit the animal in any way and can actually be detrimental to their health.

The figures show that, nationally, 1,191 reports of ear cropping have been made to the RSPCA since 2020.

The West Midlands has ranked as the number one ear cropping hotspot in England, with Greater London and West Yorkshire ranking joint second – each area saw 75 reports in the last three years.

Dr Samantha Gaines, dog welfare expert at the RSPCA, said: “Ear cropping is a painful and unnecessary practice in which a dogs’ ears are removed or surgically altered and sadly many owners who do this do it because they think the look is glamorous or it makes their pet look tough.

“But it can be detrimental, in the short and long term, to their health, behaviour and welfare – they do not benefit from having it done, and the way it is illegally carried out in the UK – by people who are not vet professionals – is highly likely to lead them to suffer.”

Despite it being illegal in the UK, there are social media accounts which promote the practice.

Samantha added: “We don’t want this cruel procedure, which is essentially dogs being mutilated for money, to be normalised.

"We are concerned that it is a growing fashion trend and it needs to be stopped.”

A dog owner from Walsall Wood who allowed his six bulldog puppies to be mutilated by having their ears cropped was banned from keeping animals in 2021.

Chevez Davies, of Grange Avenue, was found guilty of four animal welfare offences following a trial at Birmingham Magistrates Court and was sentenced to four months in prison suspended for two years, as well as being disqualified from keeping animals for two years.

He was also ordered to pay £1,000 in costs and a £128 victim surcharge.

In another case in 2021, Warren Wesley Jackman was jailed for four weeks at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court, and banned from keeping canines for 10 years, after arranging to have two puppies' ears cropped.

Jackman, of Redditch Road, Birmingham, was caught after pictures of several puppies with cropped ears were uploaded onto an Instagram page.

RSPCA and West Midlands Police officers raided a house connected to the account and found four dogs with their ears cropped.

Ian Muttitt, chief inspector in the RSPCA’s special operations unit – which investigates ear cropping – said the team have seen “horrific” DIY ear cropping kits at homes of people who carry out the cruel practice.

He said: “The idea of a person cutting off a dog’s ears with a pair of scissors and no pain relief or anaesthetic is stomach-churning – but that is exactly what they do.

"And it is even more sickening to know that they are only doing this because they think it will make the dog look ‘tough’ or they can sell the dog for more money.

“We have seen dogs who have suffered because of the after effects of this cruel procedure.

"They are at a high risk of infection and discomfort – what’s trendy or fashionable about that? Absolutely nothing.

“It’s done purely for cosmetic purposes and sadly can lead to puppies being sold for much more money.

"We’d urge the public and anyone looking to buy a puppy to remember that this is an illegal procedure which has hugely negative impacts for the dogs themselves."

A spokesman for the Dogs Trust, the UK's largest dog welfare charity which has rehoming centres in Kenilworth and Shrewsbury, added: "Ear cropping is a painful, cruel procedure, that is of no benefit to dogs and that can be detrimental to their welfare, stopping them from communicating, as dogs use their ears to express their emotions.

"Although it has been illegal to crop a dog’s ears in the UK since the 2006 Animal Welfare Act as well as in EU countries, it is still not illegal to sell or import dogs with cropped ears; a serious loophole in the legislation, which is being exploited by criminals to enable them to continue to sell mutilated dogs.

"The government’s Kept Animals Bill would have banned the import of dogs with cropped ears, but sadly the UK government scrapped this pledge in May last year. However, they later confirmed that they would be taking forward the measures in the bill as a separate single-issue bill.

"Dogs Trust continues to urge ministers to swiftly table new legislation to finally end the import of dogs with cropped ears."

To help support the RSPCA, visit rspca.org.uk/cruelty