Scott Thomas has apologised after he purchased a pet dog with clipped ears.
The Love Island star, 32, faced backlash from fans after uploading a set of snaps with him holding the Doberman Pinscher, who he decided to name Doberman Juno.
Taking to Instagram to share the photos, he wrote: ‘Since I was a kid I always wanted my very own dog and I’ve been thinking about it for so long.
‘Sometimes you’ve just got to ask yourself what are you actually waiting for? Life I far too short!
‘I feel like with my new lifestyle I’m now in a position to give one a good home.’
He added: ‘So on that note meet my new baby Doberman Juno. So Excited for this new little chapter with my new bestie.’
However, fans were quick to notice that the pooch’s ears had been clipped – a practice which is illegal in England and Wales, under Section 5 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
Despite this, it is still possible to buy dogs with clipped ears from abroad.
Scott’s followers rushed to the comments to criticise his decision to purchase a pet with cropped ears, however, as a result of the backlash, he later turned off commenting.
The reality star has since apologised, claiming that the dog was already in the UK at the time of purchase, but he also does not want to ‘condone or glamorise’ the practice of clipped ears.
In a statement reported by The Sun, he said: ‘Firstly I would like to apologise for any upset or offence caused. Secondly I would like to say I have been a huge lover of animals all my life and would never intentionally mean harm to any living creature…
‘The puppy I decided on was already in the country and had previously been cropped and docked. In hindsight I should have done more research into the procedure and don’t want to condone or glamorise this.’
He added: ‘This is a lesson I have most definitely learnt from and I hope other people will take time to educate themselves on the subject too.’
Scott’s fellow Love Island co-star Eyal Brooker – who is an ambassador for the RSPCA – also apologised for commenting ‘best picture’ on the post.
Taking to Instagram, he said: ‘I would love to publicly apologise on my Instagram, I commented on [a picture of] Scotty Thomas with his new dog and I commented on it saying “best picture”.
‘I did not look into the picture I didn’t really look at the dog properly, and the dog has had its ears cropped which I do not condone. It is illegal in the UK and I fight against ear cropping.
‘I will continue to fight against ear cropping of dogs anywhere in the world and especially in the UK. I am sorry to the RSPCA and anyone else out there who saw it and I offended.’
Metro.co.uk has contacted reps for Scott Thomas for further comment.
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