AN 'ALARMING' rise in reports of ear cropping in dogs has prompted RSPCA concerns.

American bully Dora and her eight littermates were 15-weeks-old and had all had their ears cruelly cropped when they were rescued by the RSPCA in January last year.

She was taken in by the team at Ashley Heath Animal Centre where kennel supervisor Jess Norris took her on as a foster dog before adopting her.

Jess said: "Dora is such a loving and affectionate girl. She’s such a friendly, sweet-natured dog; however many people don’t see that because they can’t see past her ears.

“Dora has been lucky in many ways. Thankfully, she isn’t bothered when you touch her ears or her head, as many cropped dogs are. But she is incredibly fearful of new objects, particularly those that make a noise. She’s terrified of the sound a tape measure makes when it’s retracting, she’s also frightened of bin bags, umbrellas, the knife sharpener. Even the sound of a friend inhaling on a vaping device leaves her barking in fear; I believe it may be fear associated with the sound when she had her ears cropped.”

Dora and her siblings had all had severe, crude cropping of their ears. Some were left with staples embedded in their ears and others had sore, infected wounds. As well as making the dogs nervous, their cropped ears also have a big impact on how they are seen by the public.

Jess said: “People often cross the road, pick up their children and lead their dogs in the other direction when they see us coming.

“As soon as people have the opportunity to meet Dora properly, she quickly steals their hearts with her soft and gentle nature. Sadly, because of the cropping, she is stereotyped.”

The RSPCA is calling for a crackdown on ear cropping after the it recorded another year-on-year increase in the number of reports of the illegal practice to its cruelty hotline.

The charity saw an 86 per cent increase in the number of reports of ear cropping in dogs in England and Wales over the last year. In 2020, its investigators received 101 reports of the illegal practice but that rose to 188 in 2021.

Anyone who suspects someone is cropping their dogs’ ears can report this to the RSPCA emergency hotline on 0300 1234 999.