Tattooed Dog Appears at Shanghai Pet Expo, Netizens Feel Sorry for the Dog and Condemn it as Meaningless

On the 22nd, Chinese netizens posted a video saying they saw a Mexican Hairless Dog with a "Green Dragon on the Left, White Tiger on the Right" tattoo on its back at the Shanghai Asia Pet Expo, and the dog was also wearing a gold chain accessory. Staff from the organizers stated that they have been made aware of the situation and have restricted the person involved from bringing the tattooed dog into the venue to prevent adverse effects.

The 27th Asia Pet Expo is being held at the Shanghai New International Expo Center from the 20th to the 24th.

According to the Yangtze Evening News, although the dog's owner claimed the dog was under anesthesia the entire time and would not feel pain during the tattooing, related videos quickly went viral on social media and sparked public outrage. “Tattooing means nothing to the dog!” “Feeling sorry for the dog!” Some netizens also argued that tattooing pets constitutes animal abuse and condemned the owner's lack of basic respect in treating animals.

The tattoo artist, Mr. Lv, who gave the dog the tattoo, said in an interview that in 2024 the dog's owner approached him, claiming that his Mexican Hairless Dog had a low pain threshold and repeatedly requested a permanent tattoo for the dog. "He said the puppy is like his child, and after the tattoo, it would look cooler."

Mr. Lv said at the time he did not consider this animal abuse, he just worried the dog might not recover well after the tattoo. The tattooing was done in a pet hospital the owner found, with the hospital's veterinarian administering anesthesia, so the whole process was painless.

He also said that throughout the process, he was especially careful, and all tools used were single-use disposable supplies, destroyed after use. Mr. Lv added that after the matter went viral online and started much discussion among netizens, he has realized the seriousness of the issue, and will issue a public apology to express regret for unintentionally causing harm to the pet.