Animal rights campaigners have attacked Joey Essex for posting pictures of a puppy which appears to have had its ears cropped.
The Only Way Is Essex favourite, 32, proudly showed off the Doberman on social media, saying: “Newest member.”
But the canine has his ears sticking up rather than flopping down – a hallmark of ear cropping which is illegal in the UK.
The procedure is deemed cruel as it is often carried out without anaesthetic and is purely for cosmetic purposes to make them look fiercer.
Animal experts were quick to blast Joey, who later deleted the snap from his Facebook and Instagram, where he has more than 1.8 million followers.
Animal welfare campaigner Jordan Shelley fumed: “Joey Essex is another idiot celebrity normalising ear cropping, an illegal, abhorrent mutilation, to his many followers. When will these halfwits learn?”
He added: “Also when will the Government find the time to make the Kept Animals Bill law so enforcement can clamp down on this disgusting behaviour?
“The longer they take, the more dogs lose their ears and the more normalisation there is of this horrific trend.”
TV vet Dr Sean McCormack agreed. He said: “Joey Essex is a public figure with lots of influence who has previously worked with Battersea to highlight the plight of dogs in shelters needing homes.
“When it was brought to his attention a year or so ago that he was congratulating another celeb for importing a cropped or mutilated dog from abroad to get around the fact it is illegal in the UK on welfare grounds, he was at pains to condemn the cruel practice and say he was an absolute dog welfare advocate.”
Animal lover Emily Spratt said: “It should be made very, very clear that having cropped ears is something that is absolutely not right. Especially by someone who is very much in the public eye.”
As well as showing off the dog on social media this week, Joey was also pictured walking it on August 13.
Asked to comment on the backlash to the now-deleted snap, his agent insisted that the “dog is not Joey’s and we therefore do not wish to make any comment on your story”.
Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at webcelebs@mirror.co.uk or call us direct 0207 29 33033.
