'It's an absolute disgrace.'
Jesse Lingard, 29, has been heavily criticised on social media after he shared pictures and videos of his 'mutilated' dogs.
Although ear cropping is illegal in England and Wales under Section 5 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, it's still a relatively common practice among certain dog owners for cosmetic reasons.
The painful procedure removes part or all of the external flaps of an animal's ear, and often involves bracing or taping the remainder of the ear to make it point upright.
The Nottingham Forest footballer posed with his hounds - Creed and Cash - with his post amassing 124,000 likes; however, he was also condemned by dog lovers who accused him of dog cruelty.
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A vet Rory Cowlam, commenting on the post shared with Lingard's 9.7 million Insta followers, wrote: "Jesse, do you understand the issues with these dogs?
"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.
"I would love you to turn around and use your platform to educate people on why this is wrong, and understand that it is illegal in the UK for a very good reason!"
A follower added:"Mutilated dogs. What a thing to be proud of.
"It's an absolute disgrace to be parading around either illegally mutilated or deliberately imported cropped dogs to get around the ban. This is shameful."
And third commenter said: "You have a responsibility as a public figure to not support or condone animal cruelty. Which is exactly what you are doing with this post.
"I am amazed the team around you have let you make such a monumental PR mistake.
"Now you have taken on the responsibility for these dogs, don't abandon them like other ‘celebs’ but you must come out with a public statement and never, ever feature them on your pages again."
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Vet Sean McCormack added: "Why on earth did you buy these dogs when they've been mutilated by having their ears and tails chopped off? And where did you buy them?
"This practice of cosmetic surgery serves no purpose for the dog and is entirely an image thing to make so called 'protection dogs' look tough. It really gives their new owner some serious small dick energy vibes I must admit.
"It's illegal in the UK because it's cruel so if they were done here that's illegal, and if you bought them as imports from abroad you should be ashamed of yourself.
"The government will soon be banning this to prevent puppies having their ears chopped off here behind closed doors for fashion. I'd like to hear what you have to say to you followers and the public about why you condone animal cruelty, where these dogs came from, and where they were cropped and docked?"
JOE has contacted reps for Lingard for a comment.
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Vet Sean McCormack added: "Why on earth did you buy these dogs when they've been mutilated by having their ears and tails chopped off? And where did you buy them?
"This practice of cosmetic surgery serves no purpose for the dog and is entirely an image thing to make so called 'protection dogs' look tough. It really gives their new owner some serious small dick energy vibes I must admit.
"It's illegal in the UK because it's cruel so if they were done here that's illegal, and if you bought them as imports from abroad you should be ashamed of yourself.
"The government will soon be banning this to prevent puppies having their ears chopped off here behind closed doors for fashion. I'd like to hear what you have to say to you followers and the public about why you condone animal cruelty, where these dogs came from, and where they were cropped and docked?"
JOE has contacted reps for Lingard for a comment.
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