‘It’s painful and unnecessary’: RACC urges public to help find pet owners cropping dogs’ ears

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Officials with Richmond Animal Care and Control (RACC) are urging the public to help them track down the person or people who are responsible for dozens of illegal and painful acts on animals, known as ear cropping. Cropping is illegal in Virginia — unless the procedure is being performed by a licensed veterinarian.

“Once the animal gets as it gets older, there’s more blood vessels, there’s more pain, there’s more trauma. And it just it just you know, it just expands and how terrible it can be,” said Rob Leinberger, the Deputy Director for Richmond Animal Care and Control.

More pain and more trauma is how RACC is describing what dozens of dogs are enduring after having their ears illegally cropped.

Cropping, also known as docking, is when part of the animal’s outer ear is cut into and possibly removed or severely trimmed as well as parts of all of the external flaps of an animal’s ear. The procedure may sometime call for temporarily taping up or “bracing” what’s left of the ears in order to get them to point upright.

Leinberger says that he has seen an uptick in the disturbing trend of dog ear cropping in Richmond.

“If it’s being done because you want to enhance the look of the dog, that’s unacceptable,” Leinberger said.

The RACC says although this trend of ear cropping is not new to them — it is concerning as they’ve seen more cases lately.

Officials say that they started seeing the problem in early July. Currently, dozens of dogs have turned up with no suspect information. “

So, it’s been a little bit it’s been a bit unusual,” Leinberger said. “But we’ve seen like a half a dozen or more and over the past couple of weeks come in just one right after the other.”

Leinberger says ear cropping can cost dogs their ability to communicate.

“We as people can see what they are trying to tell us. I’m angry, I’m excited. I’m happy. Don’t touch me I might bite you. We aren’t gonna know because they don’t have ears to tell us. So, it could lead to increased bites,” he said.

He adds there is an appropriate time and a place for a dog to have their ears clipped and it’s not as an adult.

“When the when the dog is a young puppy, you know, usually newborns, not the full-grown animals, as you guys have seen, come in. And that’s where the problem is correct? Correct,” Leinberger explained.

RACC leaders say that ear cropping can unintentionally cause long-term health impacts that could be detrimental to a dog. Leinberger says they are investigating these cases.

“We’ve seen what appears to be fishing line I mean it could be something else and was still in the dog’s ears and this particular dog had infection as a result. So, there’s ongoing health issues that could occur with this animal because of a terribly done ear crop job, he said.

Leignberger says that anyone with information about these ear cropping’s should email Christie.peters@rva.gov . or even message the RACC on Facebook.

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