Is Ear Cropping and Tail Docking Legal or Prohibited in the UK?

With so many people now flaunting cropped and docked dogs around town, it can be hard to remember that cropping ears is illegal in Britain. Since the Animal Welfare Act 2006 came into force, cropping has been illegal; all dogs born since should therefore possess intact tails and natural ears.

Celebrity culture only makes the situation worse. Over the years there has been a long string of celebrity dog owners displaying their cropped and docked dogs on social media, all proclaiming ignorance or indifference towards how this fuels demand – their primary interest being their “coolness”. One such celebrity was Diversity star Jordan Banjo who posted pictures of his dog Sergio with cropped ears in December 2020 only to be met with widespread condemnation from animal advocates; when confronted about his action he responded saying:

“I can’t claim to know everything there is about cropped ears; to be honest I didn’t even give it much thought at the start. Sergio didn’t have his ears cut; nor was I involved with his importation or getting his ears cut. It disturbs me to think that any dog goes through something so unnecessary simply to look “cooler”.” Jordan Banjo

These outbursts of ignorance and protest over animal cruelty serve to illuminate the mentality of those who insist on viewing animals as objects of pleasure or cuteness.