PETA Statement: Westminster Crowns Mutilated Dog ‘Best in Show’

For Immediate Release:
February 4, 2026

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

Just days after PETA urged the Westminster Kennel Club to ban dogs with cropped ears from its annual Dog Show—and publicly shared video footage (warning: graphic) showing a puppy’s ears being crudely cut off—the Dog Show named a Doberman with cropped ears and a docked tail as “Best in Show.” Please see the following statement from PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch:

Shame! The Westminster Kennel Club knows that ear cropping and tail docking are painful, banned in several countries, and opposed by the American Veterinary Medical Association—so naming a dog with hacked-off ears and a chopped-off tail as “Best in Show” proves Westminster cares not one lick about dogs’ well-being. Dogs don’t need a meaningless ribbon; they need their ears and tails, and PETA urges everyone to steer clear of breeders, adopt from shelters, and let dogs keep the ears and tails they were born with. 

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness and free Vegan Starter Kits for anyone thinking of making the switch. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.