[Sharon]

A North Carolina man is defending his decision to tattoo his puppy and post the picture on Facebook. He says he did it for identification, but others say it was cruel. Ernesto Rodriguez, a disabled army veteran and father of three, says he loves his dogs as if they were his children. "Even my kids are like, 'Man, those dogs eat better than we do," Rodriguez said. His puppy, Duchess, is a 4-month-old American bulldog who now boasts a belly tattoo. His other dog, Duke, has one too.

Another article:

Ernesto Rodriguez tattooed his 5-month-old purebred American bully named Duchess on her underbelly Wednesday in his basement parlor at 1396 Milsap Road near Pinnacle. The tattoo is an emblem that represents her bloodline, Rodriguez said.

Some controversy arose after Rodriguez posted a photo of Duchess' tattoo to Facebook. Rodriguez said he tattooed Duchess for identification purposes.

"What do they do when they brand animals and tattoo horses on their ear and brand their cow? You’re not abusing them. You’re just protecting them so they don’t get lost," Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez, who said he was an Army veteran, said he knew the photo was going to generate attention, and he has received calls from around the United States.

"If you go on Google and type up dog tattoos, you'll get a thousand images of dogs tattooed. This has been going on for years," Rodriguez said.

The health department issued a cease and desist order, asking Rodriguez to stop tattooing people until he gets the proper zoning permits.

It's not illegal for someone to tattoo their pet unless it's considered animal cruelty, said Dr. Ken Wheeler, investigator with the state veterinary medical board.

No criminal charges have been filed. Cruelty in this case is defined as the dog feeling pain and being maimed or dismembered in some way.

Rodriguez said Duchess was completely asleep when the tattooing began.

[Sharon]

Took the dog to the vet to get his ears clipped??? Why is that even done?

[icheerthebull]

"Even my kids are like, 'Man, those dogs eat better than we do,"

like thats something to be proud of

Originally Posted by Sharon. ↗

Took the dog to the vet to get his ears clipped??? Why is that even done?

It used to be done for different reasons depending on the breed, in this breed it probably goes back to the dog fighting/working dog aspect. Now people clip the ears (and tails in some breeds) for cosmetic reasons. Though some would say it helps prevent infections, the main reason is cosmetic.

[Kanda444]

Originally Posted by Sharon. ↗

Took the dog to the vet to get his ears clipped??? Why is that even done?

it's called 'cropping'... it used to be done in herd watching dogs in case they needed to fight a predator. it was less for the predator to grab on to... now it's done sole for looks or illegal dog fighting.

it's disgusting and fucked up... just as bad, imho, as tattooing the poor pup. some people shouldnt have animals.

people also like to 'dock' dog's tails.... chop them off so they are short.

[xstunt1ngx]

The pup was sedated before the tattooing took place at a vets office, the tattoo was done for identification and bloodline purposes.

On the ear cropping thing, I support it as long as it is done at an early age.

.

[xstunt1ngx]

Originally Posted by Kanda444 ↗

it's called 'cropping'... it used to be done in herd watching dogs in case they needed to fight a predator. it was less for the predator to grab on to... now it's done sole for looks or illegal dog fighting.

it's disgusting and fucked up... just as bad, imho, as tattooing the poor pup. some people shouldnt have animals.

people also like to 'dock' dog's tails.... chop them off so they are short.

On some breeds it is necessary to dock tails because most of the time the dog will wag the tail so hard they literally break their tails, breeds like Doberman, Rotties, Boxers, Cane Corso.

[icheerthebull]

Originally Posted by xstunt1ngx ↗

On some breeds it is necessary to dock tails because most of the time the dog will wag the tail so hard they literally break their tails, breeds like Doberman, Rotties, Boxers, Cane Corso.

Im kind of sure that the reason for breeds like the rottie and the boxer it begain as they were being used to pull things and the tail got in the way. Dobermans do have problems with their tails I have heard

[Pyramid_Head]

At least the dog was asleep when it was done.

[Shelbeano ^-^]

Honestly I have no issue with this as long as the reason is for identification. We brand and dock agricultural animals for identification and health hazards, which is ironic because if the brands aren't taken care of properly, they will be infected whereas a tattoo has a low infection rate compared and heals much faster. I think doing it for cosmetic reasons is wrong though.

[Kanda444]

Originally Posted by xstunt1ngx ↗

On some breeds it is necessary to dock tails because most of the time the dog will wag the tail so hard they literally break their tails, breeds like Doberman, Rotties, Boxers, Cane Corso.

i have a hard time believing any animal is born with a body part that will injure it unless it is removed right away.

i've known people with boxers with long tails and they never got hurt by overzealously wagging their tails... and they frequently got that excited.