From Care2

Breeding Tibetan Mastiffs is big business in China. The profits for the prettiest dogs can be so high that at least one breeder tried to get his dog a facelift to make him more attractive to female breeders.

Now, the dog is dead and the breeder is suing the animal hospital.

Sadly, the problem is much larger and much more insidious than this one story. The fact that a breeder even considered a drastic surgery for his dog and that the hospital agreed to perform a dangerous elective surgery sets a terrible precedent. On top of that, the high price Mr. Yu hoped to fetch for his “enhanced” mastiff would be completely dishonest. After all — animals pass on their genes, not their cosmetic enhancements.

The government needs to step in before this cruel practice becomes a widespread trend and more animals suffer for a few ill-gotten gains.

Urge Chinese officials to ban cosmetic surgery for dogs.

Please sign the petition to convince Chinese legislators to ban cosmetic surgery for dogs!

Target: Chinese Government

Sponsored by: Chris Wolverton

To sign the petition please go to:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/260/349/581/ban-cosmetic-surgery-for-dogs/?z00m=20514183

Related story:

Tibetan Mastiff Dies During Plastic Surgery in China; Awful Owner Sues for $141,240

By Michael Leaverton Dogster

The procedure was purely cosmetic, intended solely to increase attractiveness for breeding. Come ON, people!

In March 2012, a breeder known only Mr. Yu bought a beautiful Tibetan Mastiff from a another breeder. Two years later, it was time to breed the dog and make some money. Yu was an old hand at this — he had 30 dogs and had been in the business for 15 years.

But first he had to do something.

“The skin of my dog’s head was very flabby, so I wanted to cut part of his forehead and straighten the skin,” said Yu, according to the Global Times. “And also in this way, his hair would look longer as the rear part of the head will have more hair.”

Yes, Yu wanted to give this already stunning dog plastic surgery.

“If my dog looks better, female dog owners will pay a higher price when they want to mate their dog with mine,” he said.

So Yu took the dog to the Beijing Yongchangjihe Animal Hospital on Nov. 8, 2012, for this completely unnecessary surgery. On the operating table, the dog died. His heart stopped due to a problem with anesthesia.

Now Yu is suing the hospital, demanding 880,000 yuan ($141,240) compensation for his dog’s death. He says he bought the dog at that price. Tibetan Mastiffs get big bucks in China, and have become luxury status symbols — trophy dogs — for the elite. A Mastiff sold for 10 million yuan in 2011, and another sold for 20 million yuan last year — that’s more than $3 million.

“If you are rich, you can easily buy a big house or a Lamborghini. But owning a purebred mastiff is quite another thing,” said dog breeder Li Yongfu, according to the Telegraph. “It’s solid evidence of your wealth, power and taste, and makes a most presentable gift for your clients and partners.”

Unsurprisingly enough, animal activists in China are outraged at the surgery.

“We wouldn’t recommend plastic surgery, which doesn’t help improve the health or save the life,” said Mary Peng, co-founder of the International Center for Veterinary Services. “Any time you do surgery, you are going to deal with the healing of the tissue. It can lead to scarring and infection.”

“It’s unfair. It only meets the aesthetic desire for the owner, completely ignoring the rights and interests of the dog,” said Qin Xiaona, director of the Capital Animal Welfare Association.

“I am also against raising Tibetan Mastiffs in lowland cities like Beijing,” Xiaona said. “They should be living on the plateau grassland areas. People shouldn’t raise them here just for profit.”

Photos by Shutterstock

For more on this story go to:

http://www.dogster.com/the-scoop/tibetan-mastiff-dies-during-plastic-surgery-in-china