Rita Ora has been criticised by PETA for featuring a dog with cropped ears in her new music video for her single Big, featuring David Guetta, Imanbek and Gunna.
In the mini-film, filmed in Bulgaria, the singer, 30, walks along a street before a masked extra is seen holding the pit bull by a lead.
The animal charity’s director Elisa Allen has called for celebrities to discourage the ‘cruel’ practice as she declared: ‘Maiming animals for vanity is unacceptable.’
The procedure, known as docking, is against the law in the UK under the Animal Welfare Act unless it is carried out for medical reasons, but it is currently not illegal to import those who have already been mutilated from other countries.
Under fire: Rita Ora has been criticised by PETA for featuring a dog with cropped ears in her new music video for her single Big, featuring David Guetta, Imanbek and Gunna
Animal advocate Elisa said in a statement to MailOnline: ‘Dogs’ ears are there for a purpose, and they need to use them like directional antennae.
‘Ear cropping is a painful mutilation that is most commonly used by dogfighters to prevent an opponent from grabbing the ears – it has no place in a civilised, humane society.
‘It involves cutting off the majority of the dog’s enervated, extremely sensitive ear and taping the remnants into an unnatural, ‘devilish’ shape for aesthetic reasons.
‘Dogs ‘talk’ to their human companions and other dogs using their ears, so hacking them off not only is traumatic but also robs them of vital forms of expression, communication, and balance.’
Close look: In the mini-film, filmed in Bulgaria, the singer, 30, walks along a street before a masked extra is seen holding the pit bull by a lead
Controversial: The animal charity’s director Elisa Allen has called for celebrities to discourage the ‘cruel’ practice as she declared: ‘Maiming animals for vanity is unacceptable’
Highlighting the rise in the importation of animals with cropped ears, she added: ‘Although the cruel practice is rightly banned in the UK, reports indicate an alarming increase in the number of dogs with cropped ears.
‘People either send the animals abroad to be maimed or purchase and import dogs from breeders who have already mutilated their ears.
‘PETA joins the RSPCA and every other animal protection advocate in calling for a ban on the importation of dogs with cropped ears.
‘This would send a strong message to breeders, celebrities, and everyone else that maiming dogs for vanity is unacceptable. Dogs love humans regardless of the way we look – we’d do well to extend the same kindness to them.’
Illegal in Britain: The procedure, known as docking, is against the law in the UK under the Animal Welfare Act unless it is carried out for medical reasons (pictured in Bulgaria)
MailOnline has contacted representatives for Rita, David, Imanbek and Gunna for further comment.
Ear cropping, which dates back thousands of years, was originally performed on working dogs to prevent risk of ear infection and other potential health risks, but has also been adopted by owners who breed the animal specifically for hunting and dog-fighting.
The RSPCA also insisted that ear-cropping is on the increase, claiming pet owners are encouraged by celebrities who have cropped dogs.
The charity warns the procedure is painful and unnecessary and affects the way dogs hear and communicate.
Uh oh: The artist hit headlines late last year when she went against strict quarantine rules to hold a 30th birthday party at Notting Hill’s Casa Cruz (pictured) following a trip to North Africa
New stint: The songwriter is currently spending time Down Under as she kicks off her role as a judge on The Voice (pictured last month with Keith Urban, Jessica Mauboy and Guy Sebastian)
Celebrities including Little Mix star Leigh-Anne Pinnock and former England footballer Andy Carroll and his wife, former TOWIE star Billi Mucklow have been criticised for showing off dogs with cropped ears.
The government is now considering banning the import of dogs with cropped ears, according to The Telegraph.
A Defra spokesperson told the paper: ‘Now we have left the EU we have the opportunity to manage our own rules applying to pet travel movements into Great Britain including considering the ban of imports of dogs with cropped ears.’
A petition to stop the practice has been signed by over 70,000 people at the time of the publication.
The Focus on Animal Law group (FOAL) co-director Jordan Shelley, who launched the appeal, told The Sun: ‘I’m disappointed to see the use of a cropped dog in Rita Ora’s video, as the use of mutilated dogs in the media is playing a huge role in the normalisation of ear cropping and the rise in cropped dog ownership.
Controversy: Celebrities including Little Mix star Leigh-Anne Pinnock (pictured) have been criticised for showing off dogs with cut ears, a procedure banned in the United Kingdom
‘We urge everyone with a platform and media reach to no longer share any images of cropped dogs unless specifically for the purposes of education and rehoming.
‘Together we can stop the glamourisation and normalisation of this unnecessary painful cosmetic procedure.’
The artist hit headlines late last year when she went against strict quarantine rules to hold a 30th birthday party at Notting Hill’s Casa Cruz following a trip to North Africa, despite the UK’s coronavirus restrictions.
Months on, the former America’s Next Top Model has attempted to put the drama behind her as she is currently in Sydney to serve as a judge on The Voice Australia.
Other owners: Andy Carroll and Billi Mucklow have also shared photos of their cropped puppy Bane on social media