After a three-week-old puppy was rescued after having her ears ‘cropped’, the RSCPA are raising awareness of this cruel act.

Poor Lira, a bull breed, was subjected to this procedure to achieve a ‘look’ her sellers believe to be desirable.

While there are some conditions, such as cancer, that may necessitate the removal of part or all of a dog’s ear flap, ‘cropping’ or ‘docking’ in this context refers to an unnecessary procedure done just for appearance’s sake.

Those who practice ear cropping often say that it’s done to protect against ear infections or help to avoid injury from other dogs – but both of these claims are untrue.

The procedure and recovery are very traumatic for the pups, and surgically altering a dog’s ears can also impede their social skills, because dogs use their ears to communicate.

Warning: graphic images ahead.

Poor baby girl (Picture: RSPCA)

Putting them through a cropping ordeal – unless it’s absolutely necessary to their health – is undeniably cruel, and is illegal under the Animal Welfare Act.

The fact that the practice is illegal means that it’s not possible to know for sure whether dogs who’ve had this done to them have had proper medical care, or even received pain relief.

There’s also the fear that more and more dogs are being sent abroad for cropping or being purchased and imported from overseas having already had the painful procedure.

Shockingly, new figures released in February this year by the RSPCA show a rise in ear cropping, with a 621% increase in the number of reports of ear cropping and cropped ears raised with the charity in the last six years.

Lira’s owner bought her from someone in a field who handed the pup over with her ears already mutilated. Less than a day later, she took the injured animal to the RSCPA.

Poor Lira is currently still in RSPCA care and being treated by a vet while investigations are being made into who committed this crime.

Disgusting (Picture: RSPCA)

The RSPCA said sometimes offenders will use just kitchen scissors and knives (Picture: RSPCA)

RSPCA inspector Chris McGreal said: ‘We are trying to find out who was responsible for this pup when she had her ears cropped.

‘Her owner has told us she was bought from a stranger with her ears already cropped in a field around Hutton Mount, Brentwood, and only had her in their care for 12 hours. This was at the start of November.