Love Island's Jack Fincham has spoken out on the fact his dog Elvis has his ears cropped, after backlash from fans.
The reality star, 29, came under fire after people noticed his Cane Corso's cropped ears - something which is illegal in England and Wales, under Section 5 of the Animal Welfare Act (2006).
But Jack had an explanation, posting a video on Instagram to put the issue to bed.
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Check out a clip below:
In the clip he said: "Hello, so over the last few weeks and months, I've had lots of messages about dog ear cropping, which first of all I absolutely do not condone whatsoever.
"The story behind my dog, Elvis, who has got his ears cropped... he lives with me and my four other dogs, three of which are rescue - we always go for rescue dogs - is that he was living in a rescue and he lived in a facility - the intent was not for him to be a protection dog at all, he's a pet, he's far too soft to be a protection dog.
"I then rescued him and took him off somebody hands, no money was exchanged, Elvis is a rescue dog, but unfortunately he had his ears cropped, and I never would have done that.
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"But I'm too much of a soft touch not to take on another dog, and he's got the most beautiful nature, he's such a lovely dog, he's so well loved and looked after, he's my best friend."
Jack continued: "He comes absolutely everywhere with me. I do not condone - especially for aesthetic purposes - getting a dog's ears cropped or their tails docked, theres no need for it, I don't condone it whatsoever.
"It's unfortunate that Elvis' ears have been cropped and his tail has been docked, but he is a rescue dog and it wasn't my choice and I would never turn down a dog that needed a home.
"Thats the story of me and Elvis and I have nothing else to say on the matter."
When fans noticed Jack's dog had cropped ears, they begun to send him angry messages, and respond to his posts to air their opinions on the cruel practice.
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"Will be unfollowing," wrote one fan. "Dog ears are cropped....it's illegal in the uk. Dogs are getting imported like this. Sad as (sic)".
Meanwhile, another wrote: "Who ever (sic) cropped this digs ears should be reported for cruelty. It is not ok to chop dogs ears".
"Another so called dog lover with a dog with clipped ears disgusting," a third follower penned, echoing the sentiments of many more in the comments.
A fellow animal advocate added: "These people just don't get it! ok your dog is loved and very well looked after which is great, but he was an import...
"Didn't want to 'rescue' a dog from the UK? Oh wait we don't crop ears here so you had to import."
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According to the RSPCA, ear cropping is "a painful and completely unnecessary process where a dog's ear is cut or removed", which "can cause life-long health and behaviour problems".
Ear cropping started because people wanted to make their dogs look "tougher, and more intimidating".
Dogs need their ears for a manner of reasons, including for body language and communicating how they're feeling.
"Where a dog's ears are placed, also known as their ear carriage, can help us understand if a dog is worried or happy and relaxed. If a dog's ears have been removed, it can be more difficult to know how they're feeling," the RSPCA explains on its website.
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We don't yet know whether cropping reduces hearing - but it's also possible.
A spokesperson for the charity told Tyla: "Sadly, ear cropping is still legal in some parts of the world and we're seeing dogs being imported from abroad having undergone this barbaric practice.
"We're supporting a campaign calling for a ban on the importation of cropped dogs, particularly as we've seen the number of reports about cropped dogs surge by more than 600 per cent over the last six years.
"There's a growing trend for cropped dogs among some celebrities and sadly we're seeing more and more dogs with cropped ears on social media and advertising too."
Discussing the backlash aimed at celebrities like Jack, the charity added: "Celebrities have a responsibility to set a good example to their fans. We fear the cropped look is being normalised and even glamorised, particularly among certain breeds.
"We'd urge celebrities to stop popularising this look and, instead, ask them to promote responsible dog ownership and champion good animal welfare."
In line with this, in the caption of his video, Jack went on to urge people to "adopt not shop" and further stated he didn't agree with cropped ears.
"I am a huge animal lover and anybody that knows me knows this," his post read. "Anybody who knows me knows I can't say no to a dog."
Featured Image Credit: InstagramTopics: Jack Fincham, Celebrity News, Animal Welfare, Love Island