Ex-Man Utd star Jesse Lingard slammed for showing off ‘mutilated’ dogs on Instagram
Former Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard has been slammed for showing off his “mutilated” dogs on Instagram.
The 29-year-old shared a series of pictures and videos of himself playing in his garden with his pet Doberman and Mastiff-type breed dogs Creed and Cash earlier this week. However, the post has since sparked outrage after his followers spotted that the dogs had “mutilated” cropped ears as they posed for the camera alongside Lingard.
Often seen on Rottweilers, ear cropping is illegal in the UK unless performed by a vet for medical reasons and is deemed painful and unnecessary due to generally being done for superficial reasons.
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The process involves slicing the floppy section of the dog’s ears from the cartilage to make them appear upright and, according to the RSPCA, increased by 621% between 2015 and 2020.
A spokesperson told The Sun: “Sadly, ear cropping is still legal in some parts of the world and we’re seeing dogs being imported from abroad having undergone this barbaric practice.”
Since being shared with his 9.7 million followers on Tuesday, Lingard’s post has racked up over 120,000 likes but has been flooded with comments condemning the cropping of his dogs’ ears.
(Image: Getty Images)
Celebrity Rory The Vet wrote: “The reason you’re getting so many negative comments here is because these dogs have been mutilated! Ear cropping is an abhorrent practice, done simply for looks and is an incredibly painful surgical procedure with months of splinting too.”
Another shocked follower also commented: “The sooner the loophole, allowing the import of cropped-eared dogs is closed, the better.”
Meanwhile, vet Shaun McCormack posted the pictures to Twitter, writing: “Another day, another shallow celeb parading mutilated dogs on social media for clout, to make himself look hard. A cosmetic mutilation illegal on animal cruelty grounds.”
It is understood that Lingard bought his dogs from Leicestershire-based firm Chaperone K9, who specialise in providing specially trained guard dogs.
The former England international left United on a free transfer at the end of last season, joining newly promoted Nottingham Forest on a one-year deal. However, he has yet to score or assist in his six appearances for the club so far this campaign.
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