Dogs need their ears, but all it takes is a few clicks in the right places to find so many dogs being sold without them. 

Bred to look ‘tough’ and make a fortune for their breeders, dogs with cropped ears are a growing trend. Sadly, ear cropping is a traumatic procedure and can cause a huge amount of pain and suffering.

Ear cropping is a completely unnecessary process where the ear flap is shaped or removed, sometimes using scissors and knives. In many cases, it's done by irresponsible breeders who want to sell them at a higher price.

While those who practice ear cropping claim it helps protect dogs against injury and infections, both suggestions are only a myth. 

The procedure is often done on puppies without any veterinary intervention or anaesthetic, which can result in long term pain and trauma. Cutting a dog’s ears can also harm their ability to communicate, meaning their social skills are impaired for life. After everything they’ve endured, a dog’s behaviour can also be impacted.

Cropping a dog’s ears is already illegal under the Animal Welfare Act, but that hasn’t stopped unscrupulous breeders from doing it.

Criminals are mutilating dogs, and cashing in. Sadly, breeding dogs and cropping their ears is profitable and a litter of puppies with cropped ears is a quick way to cash in. Litters can mean tens of thousands of pounds, and people are making a huge business out of the pain of helpless dogs.

We’re all ears for change. We’re working in collaboration with the RSPCA to help spread awareness about the cruelty of ear cropping. Their figures released in February 2022 show a rise in ear cropping, with a 621% increase in the number of reports of ear cropping and cropped ears raised with us in the last six years. In 2022, they had a total of 391 calls related to ear cropping.

If you suspect someone is illegally cropping their dogs’ ears or arranging for their dogs to have their ears cropped, please contact the RSPCA HERE

You can take direct action by writing to your MP and ask for urgent change by cracking down on imports of dogs with cropped ears. The RSPCA have a form that will go directly to your MP HERE