Tattoo artist accused of animal cruelty for inking pet dog

Tattoo artist Emerson Damasceno has received flak for inking his pet dog.  Screengrab from Facebook/Labour Animal Rights Group

Pets often mimic what their owners do but one tattoo artist has been subjected to online bashing after he covered his dog with multiple tattoos.

Shocking images of a white bull terrier with tattoos on its nose, ears and below its eyes have appalled netizens since the weekend.

Emerson Damasceno displayed pictures of his pet on Facebook, showing five tattoos including images of an anchor, a knuckleduster, a diamond and stars. The poor canine also has a logo of the LA Dodgers baseball team on both ears.

Upon receiving flak from outraged netizens accusing him of animal cruelty, Damasceno promptly changed his Facebook name to Emerson Candido before deleting his account completely.

In his defense, Damasceno, who also sports prominent facial tattoos, claimed they were not for style but were done simply to protect the dog from cancer.

His girlfriend also defended him and claimed that a veterinary school in the city of Posos de Caldas in the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais had suggested the move, The Mirror reported.

Their claims, however, were refuted by the school, saying it had never tried anything similar on any dog and that they did not condone what had happened.

Several prominent veterinary experts also weighed in on the bizarre situation and said that tattooing the dog had no medical benefits and could even cause health problems.

As of this writing, it remains unclear if Damasceno is subject of a police investigation. Khristian Ibarrola/rga