NY Gov. Cuomo Outlaws Pet Tattoos

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill into law on Monday morning that makes it illegal to tattoo or pierce a pet for “cosmetic reasons.” It goes without saying that many people will consider the law to be unnecessary and ridiculous, one would think that common sense alone would prevent people from tattooing their pets. Sadly this is not the case. A Brooklyn tattoo artist by the name of Mistah Metro created a firestorm when he posted pictures of a tattoo he had given his dog while the pet was under anesthesia for surgery. Within hours of the pictures going viral legislators started working on a bill that would prevent other pets from getting inked.

“This is animal abuse, pure and simple,” Gov. Cuomo said in a statement. “I’m proud to sign this common sense legislation and end these cruel and unacceptable practices in New York once and for all.”

The bill will still allow veterinarians to give rabbits ear tags (similar to piercing) and to tattoo pets for identification/medical reasons.

“While people can decide whether they would like to undergo the pain associated wtih a tattoo or piercing, animals do not have that luxury,” Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal, one of the sponsors of the bill, said in a statement. “Subjecting animals to painful cosmetic procedures, such as tattooing and piercing, merely to satisfy an individual’s misguided and selfish aesthetic predilections, is inhumane and should be considered cruelty by the law.”

While we fully support people doing anything and everything to modify their own bodies we agree 100% with this law. Trust us, your dog doesn’t want a tattoo—he just wants to be scratched behind the ears and given copious amounts of treats.