A tattoo artist has sparked outrage after bragging online about tattooing his dog.
“Mistah Metro” declared, “My dog is cooler than yours!” on Instagram, after inking his pet with a heart and his wife’s name, while the animal was sedated at the vets in Brooklyn.
“She had her spleen removed yesterday, and the vet let me tattoo her while she was under,” he said.
Animal lovers condemned Mistah Metro for marking the dog.
Although it is not illegal to tattoo a dog, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said the practice should not be used for anything other than identification purposes.
"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 something the ASPCA supports," a spokesman for the group told the New York Post.
Red Legged Devil owner Chris Torres, who employs the tattoo artists, was apparently emphatic towards the decision of his employee.
"The dog wasn’t tattooed at the shop—what [employees] do on their own time isn't my business," he said.
"People are still offered jobs after being pedophiles," he reportedly said said. “I don’t know why everyone is treating this kid like he raped a 12-year-old."