Bay Ridge

Malliotakis’s bill would ban tattoos on animals

March 13, 2014 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle
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Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis, who owns two dogs, said she would never dream of subjecting them to getting tattoos and doesn’t understand why anyone else would do that to their pets.

“Animals should not undergo cosmetic surgeries, tattoos and piercing, not only because it is cruel, but general anesthesia puts them at a tremendous health risk. Seeing this practice become more and more common is incredibly disturbing,” Malliotakis (R-C-Bay Ridge-southern Brooklyn) said.

In the wake of the much-publicized case of tattoo master “Mistah Metro,” who was featured in a New York Post article for inking a tattoo of his wife name and a heart on his dog while the pooch was drugged following surgery, Malliotakis said she is re-introducing legislation to ban the practice.

The legislation would prohibit people from subjecting their dogs, cats and other companion animals to surgical procedures that have no medical benefit, or cosmetic and aesthetic purposes such as tattoos, piercing and tummy tucks.

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“These animals can not give consent and end up suffering from the pain of recovery and possible infection, or post-surgery complications,” Malliotakis said.

Mallitotaks originally introduced her bill in 2012 after seeing “Pet Crazy,” a documentary about such behavior on “20/20.”

At the time, the bill was endorsed by animal rights advocates, including Anarchy Animal Rescue of Staten Island, No More Tears Rescue and the New York State Veterinary Medicine Society. But it didn’t pass.

Malliotakis said she decided to give it another try after reading about the now infamous “Mistah Metro.”

State Sen. Marty Golden, who is sponsoring the bill in the senate, called tattooing a form of animal abuse.

“As an owner of two dogs, I am horrified by how people mistreat animals that have long have been rightly named ‘man’s best friend.’ Tattooing a dog is a form of abuse, and New York State should not stand for it,” Golden said.

Golden vowed to work “to see that this barbaric action ceases to exist in the Empire State.”

According to a recent article in the New York Post, Brooklyn tattoo master Mistah Metro had his pet pit bull Zion tattooed while the pooch was still drugged from a surgical procedure.

“My dog is cooler than yours!” he boasted in an Instagram post. The photo showed what appeared to be a sleeping Zion sporting the tattoo.

“Mistah Metro,’ who also goes by the name “Orangutan Joe,’ quit his job at a Prospect Heights tattoo studio after an outcry from animal rights advocates over his treatment of Zion, the Post reported.

 

 


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