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Leading animal welfare charities in Wales are calling for a tougher crackdown on illegal dog ear cropping.

Over the last three years, 1,100 dogs are reported to have had their ears cropped across the UK, according to the RSPCA – with 79 of those in Wales.

The figures have been released as part of the RSPCA’s Cancel Out Cruelty campaign, which aims to stop cruelty to animals.

RSPCA Cymru has teamed up with Hope Rescue as part of the Mutilated for Money campaign – which aims to raise awareness of the suffering the practice can cause.

Dr Samantha Gaines, dog welfare expert at the RSPCA, said: “Ear cropping is a painful and unnecessary practice in which a dogs’ ears are removed or surgically altered.

“Sadly, many owners who do this do it because they think the look is glamorous or it makes their pet look tough.

“But it is detrimental to their health, behaviour and welfare – they do not benefit from having it done, and the way it is illegally carried out in the UK – by people who are not vet professionals – leads them to suffer.”

Dr Gaines added: “We don’t want this cruel procedure – which is essentially dogs being mutilated for money – to be normalised. We are concerned that it is a growing fashion trend and it needs to be stopped.”

Hope Rescue currently has eight dogs with cropped ears in their care. It’s senior head of operations, Vanessa Waddon, said: “Shockingly, we see at least one stray cropped dog every single month either being abandoned or brought into our care.

“Ear cropping is a totally unnecessary and traumatic procedure, and its only purpose is to satisfy demand for a certain look.”

Ian Briggs, head of the RSPCA’s Special Operations Unit – which investigates ear cropping – said: “The idea of a person cutting off a dog’s ears with a pair of scissors and no pain relief or anaesthetic is stomach-churning – but that is exactly what they do.

“It is even more sickening to know that they are only doing this because they think it will make the dog look ‘tough’ or they can sell the dog for more money.

“We have seen dogs who have suffered because of the after effects of this cruel procedure. They are at a high risk of infection and discomfort – what’s trendy or fashionable about that? Absolutely nothing.”