North Carolina man draws online ire over tattooing his dog Duchess

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North Carolina resident Ernesto Rodriguez is facing controversy after he posted some photos on Facebook of his tattooed 5-month-old purebred American bully Duchess.

Rodriguez tattooed an image that represents Duchess’ bloodline on her belly himself in his basement tattoo parlor . He says he tattooed his pup for identification purposes, and argues that if you do a Google search for “dog tattoos,” you’ll pull up a plethora of images. He told the local news station “What do they do when they brand animals and tattoo horses on their ear and brand their cow? You’re not abusing them. You’re just protecting them so they don’t get lost.”

Many who saw the images he posted accused him of pet abuse, and he even received calls from people complaining to him, but in a twist of irony the local health department issued a cease and desist order for Rodriguez tattooing human in his home until he gets the proper zoning permits.

Although many feel outraged by Duchess being tattooed, tattooing an animal is not illegal unless it’s considered “animal cruelty,” which is defined as an animal experiencing pain, or being maimed or dismembered. According to Rodriguez, Duchess was asleep during the entire tattooing process

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What do you think? Should it be legal for a dog owner to tattoo his dog? What about other animals?



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