According to Wednesday's New York Post, on March 5, a veterinarian allowed a dog owner
to put a tattoo on his dog who was sedated for surgery.
The canine inking took place on Tuesday while the dog was knocked out for surgery to remove her spleen.
Dog owner and tattoo artist, Mistah Metro, bragged out his dog's new look on his Instagram account, stating:
One of the many reasons my dog is cooler than yours! She had her spleen removed yesterday
and the vet let me tattoo her while she was under,”
According to the Gothamist, the owner of the tattoo shop where Mistah Metro is employed
was prompt to let people know that the dog was not tattooed at his place of business.
Chris Torres, owner of the Red Legged Devil tattoo shop, said:
The dog wasn’t tattooed at the shop—what [employees] do on their own time isn't my business,
Though distasteful to most dog owners, Mistah Metro apparently did nothing illegal.
The ASPCA issued a statement about the incident:
The ASPCA condones the use of tattooing for only identification purposes following spay or neuter surgery.
This practice helps animal welfare professionals clearly identify animals that have been altered,
thereby preventing unnecessary future surgeries. This painless procedure is performed
by a licensed veterinarian or veterinary technician while the animal is under anesthesia.
The marks are very small and have a specific purpose, which is to avoid inflicting undue pain
and stress later if that animal is unknowingly brought in for a spay surgery a second time.
Tattooing an animal for the vain sake of joy and entertainment of the owner -
without any regard for the well-being of the animal - is not at all comparable to the incident in question
and is not something the ASPCA supports.
Distasteful or unethical - the bigger question might be this -
what veterinarian allowed this to take place at their hospital?
Please, keep the tattoos for yourself and don't impose them on your pets.
