Animal rights groups have accused legendary Olympic athlete Simone Biles of subjecting her new puppy to the “excruciatingly painful” procedure of having its ears cut off.
Simone, 28, along with husband and NFL player Jonathan Owens, shared a snap of their new Doberman pup on social media, along with its breeder.
In the photo, the dog appears to have undergone a “cropping” procedure. Cropping — or docking — refers to the practice of cutting or completely removing a dog’s ears, typically in infancy.
PETA have taken aim at the Olympic gold medalist over her dog
In a statement shared with Radar Online, controversial animal rights advocacy group PETA condemned the couple.
“We were stunned when we saw you purchased a dog from a breeder, and judging from the comments online, we weren’t alone,” PETA began, referring to fan backlash towards Simone for sharing the photo. “Then you went another step further and had the puppy’s ears chopped off?”
“Ear cropping is excruciatingly painful and, as cruel as it sounds, permanently disfiguring them for no reason other than to achieve a certain look. Many veterinarians refuse to perform the procedure, which has been banned in many European countries.”
“Dogs love us just the way we are – the very least we can do is return the favor and never subject them to mutilation surgeries like the one your new puppy endured,” PETA continued.
Simone and Jonathan did not respond to the backlash, but the breeder company — Regal Empire Doberman — did.
“Why do you still dock the ears? It’s cruel and purely cosmetic for human enjoyment,” one commenter wrote on their Instagram post.
“Because I can …. Next question,” Regal Empire Doberman snapped in response. Not the best way to get the public on-side.
The breeders’ response will do little to quash the allegations of animal cruelty and style over humane treatment. But, Simone and Jonathan may feel differently. So far, no response has been shared by the couple – so watch this space. The couple shares four dogs, and may avoid making such a mistake in the future.
TELL US – WERE PETA RIGHT TO CALL OUT SIMONE, OR SHOULD THE BLAME BE PLACED MORE ON THE BREEDER?
