Imagine having your ears crudely hacked off and then being tossed outside to recover from your wounds as best you could without so much as an aspirin to dull the pain. That appears to be what happened to a pit bull puppy in Hampton, Virginia, and PETA is now desperately trying to find out who inflicted the wounds in order to bring the perpetrator to justice.

After a concerned passerby spotted the injured puppy in a yard without any shelter, her ears crusty, bloody, and obviously infected, the person contacted PETA, and we in turn contacted animal control. But so far, all we have been able to determine is that the puppy was apparently purchased from a local breeder, who we believe inflicted the injuries. The puppy's owner was ordered to provide her with vet care but allegedly refuses to divulge the breeder's name, so we are offering up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever hacked off the puppy's ears.

Home "crop jobs," in which scissors, knives, and other sharp instruments are used to hack off pit bulls' ears to make them look "tough," are often associated with dogfighting. Such procedures are illegal both because they violate anti-cruelty laws and because they could be considered practicing veterinary medicine without a license. Even if performed by a veterinarian, ear-cropping and tail-docking are purely cosmetic (read: unnecessary) and cause extreme pain to the victims.

Cases like this one are not isolated incidents. Animal abusers are usually repeat offenders, and studies show that they often "progress" to committing violence against humans. If you live in the Hampton Roads, Virginia, area and have any information about this crime, please call PETA at 757-962-8370.

Written by Joe Taksel

canada / CC

So Rony Salman, this oh-so-classy Canadian burglar, is in jail right now for, well, robbery and has recently learned the true meaning of "an eye for an eye," or in this case I guess it'd be an ear for an ear …

Along with his spotty burglary past, he's also previously pleaded guilty to three counts of cruelty to animals (willfully causing pain to an animal, causing unnecessary pain to a dog by not seeking veterinary attention, and failure to provide care for—and willful neglect of—a domestic animal.). One of the animals who unfortunately ended up in this man's care was a smiley, sweet-looking pup named A.K. Well, in spring of 2007, Rony cut off A.K.'s ears. (Luckily, the dog has since been adopted by a new, and hopefully much kinder, family.)

Now, that's just hideous, and it really gets under my skin when I hear about stories like this, but there's a bit of a twist to this story. While Rony was in jail, another inmate chewed off part of Rony's ear.

I know, right?! Coincidence? Hmm …

University of Toronto criminology teacher Scott Wortley said, "There's a code of honour among criminals, and they rank people who prey on children, who prey on women, who prey on the defenseless—and maybe a dog, I don't know—as worse."

Well, I certainly agree with that! But unfortunately, the AKC doesn't. Sadly, ear-cropping and tail-docking are extremely common among certain breeds of animals. When you see dogs that have stubs for tails and short, pointy ears … they ain't born that way. Breeders, the AKC, and all those crazy dog-show folks purposely cut off the tails and ears of animals all the time—purely for vanity—and nobody says a dang thing about it.

Maybe they should spend some time up in this Canadian jail with a certain inmate … I would imagine they'd change their minds pretty quickly.

Written by Christine Doré