A man in North Carolina who tattooed his dog has caught the attention of animal lovers after he posted a photo of the dog on Facebook. Tattoo artist and Army veteran Ernesto Rodriguez tattooed his 5-month-old Pit Bull, Duchess, on the underbelly at his basement parlor in Pinnacle, NC.
Animal lovers who saw the photo have criticized his actions. In response he told WXII12 News that Duchess was not just “plopped on the bed” and tattooed. “She was already under anesthetic. She was asleep, completely asleep. And I even used a topical anesthetic too, on top of the skin.” He claims she “didn’t feel anything” and got up and was fine.
When further questioned he compared it to branding farm animals. “What do they do when they brand animals and tattoo horses on their ear and brand their cow? You’re not abusing them. You’re just protecting them so they don’t get lost,” Rodriguez said. “If you go on Google and type up dog tattoos, you’ll get a thousand images of dogs tattooed. This has been going on for years,” he added.