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“Painful”: Simone Biles Draws PETA’s Ire After Allegedly Buying Dog With Chopped-Off Ears
Artistic gymnast Simone Biles has been accused of supporting animal cruelty after she recently acquired a dog with surgically altered ears.
The controversy started with an Instagram post featuring the Olympic gold medalist and her footballer husband, Jonathan Owens, welcoming a Doberman puppy to their family.
However, PETA and animal rights activists slammed the couple after they noticed the dog’s ears had been chopped for aesthetic purposes.
Highlights
- Olympic medalist Simone Biles and her NFL player husband, Jonathan Owens, recently welcomed a Doberman puppy to their family.
- PETA criticized the couple for purchasing a puppy with cropped ears instead of adopting one from a shelter.
- Ear cropping is generally considered a traumatic procedure for dogs and is banned in several European countries.
“Simone Biles could’ve gone for gold by adopting, instead, she fueled the homeless animal crisis by getting a dog, whose ears were cut off, from a breeder,” the non-profit organization wrote on X.
RELATED:
PETA slammed Simone Biles for allegedly cropping off her dog’s ears
Image credits: simonebiles/Instagram
The photo of Biles and her husband with their new puppy was first shared on December 16, 2025, by Regal Empire Dobermans, a breeding company based in Georgia. Soon after, PETA shared their anger over the situation through a letter addressed to the gold medallist.
The Daily Mail reportedly had exclusive access to the letter criticizing the couple’s decision to purchase a puppy from a breeder instead of adopting from a shelter. Furthermore, PETA was appalled by Biles and Owens’ choice to acquire a dog whose ears had been chopped off.
Image credits: regalempiredobermans/Instagram
“Ear cropping is excruciatingly painful and, as cruel as it sounds, permanently disfiguring them for no reason other than to achieve a certain look,” the letter read.
“Dogs love us just the way we are—the very least we can do is return the favor and never subject them to mutilation surgeries like the one your new puppy endured.”
PETA also argued that Biles’ fame could popularize the cruel practice of ear cropping and buying from breeders instead of promoting adoption.
Image credits: regalempiredobermans/Instagram
“Imagine what it’s like to work in a shelter, agonizing every second about the flood of animals coming in and working tirelessly to try and find homes for those who fill cages, only to see someone of your popularity and influence posing for a breeder’s Instagram page.
“It’s simple math: for every dog purchased, a dog in a shelter loses their chance at a home. If you were set on a Doberman, there are many rescues that would have happily worked with you to adopt one in need.”
The publication also reached out to the couple for a comment, but Biles and Owens have yet to respond to the allegations.
Why ear cropping is considered a painful and unnecessary procedure for dogs by experts
View this post on Instagram
PETA’s website states that ear cropping is a ‘cruel, disfiguring surgery’ causing dogs great suffering. The procedure is performed when puppies are 8 to 12 months old. As a result, the trauma from the surgery can allegedly have a strong psychological impact on the canine’s development.
Because of its cruel nature, ear cropping has been banned in several European countries. However, Regal Empire Dobermans’ website claims that the procedure provides more than an aesthetic look, as it allegedly improves the dog’s hearing and helps prevent ear infections.
“Why do you still dock the ears? It’s cruelty and purely cosmetic for human enjoyment,” an infuriated animal lover questioned the breeder on Instagram. “Ouch, their ears hurt so bad! This is ab*se and animal cruelty,” stated another user.
In response to the backlash, the breeder simply stated, “Because I can …. Next question.”
Beyond the ethical or medical impact of these practices, ear cropping can have serious legal repercussions
Image credits: Eudyptula/Adobe Stock (Not the actual photo)
Despite animal activists speaking out against the harm of surgically chopping off dogs’ ears, several pet owners and breeders have continued the practice.
According to the British Veterinary Association, there was a 621% increase in reports of ear cropping between 2015 and 2021. However, serious legal action has been taken against many of them, depending on the country and state laws.
Image credits: simonebiles/Instagram
For instance, in August 2025, the BBC reported that three individuals from Stoke-on-Trent, UK, were sentenced to prison after they pleaded guilty to animal cruelty offences.
Image credits: simonebiles/Instagram
Similarly, a Lancashire man received a suspended prison sentence and a decade-long ban on animal possession for chopping off his dogs’ ears under the UK’s Animal Welfare bill.
On the other hand, laws about ear cropping are less strict in the USA. The procedure is legal in most states, including Illinois and Texas, when performed by a licensed veterinarian for a medical reason.
As a result, Biles and Owens, who split their time between their mansion in Houston, Texas, and Chicago, Illinois, are unlikely to face legal repercussions in this matter.
Image credits: simonebiles/Instagram
The couple, who tied the knot in 2023, were previously pet parents to three dogs: French bulldogs, Lilo and Rambo, and an English bulldog, Zeus, making the Doberman puppy the fourth member of their pet family.
Amidst the online backlash against them, the sports power couple was recently spotted hugging at a concert by American rapper and singer Rod Wave.
“I thought she was better than this!”: Animal lovers slammed Simone Biles on social media
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What do you think ?
LakotaWolf (she/her) 3 weeks ago (edited)
It's completely acceptable to buy a purebred dog from a breeder, if the breeder is ethical and moral and not a "puppy mill". It is OKAY to want a certain breed of dog. But NO dogs "need" to be cropped or docked. There is absolutely NO reason to crop the ears or dock the tail except for the owner's vanity of wanting a certain "look". (Medically-needed docking for injury or "happy tail syndrome" does not fall under this rubric, nor do certain instances of ear-cropping in livestock guardian breeds - this protects the LG dog by removing things that predators can grab/injure.) Cropping/docking puppies at birth/soon after birth is absolutely abhorrent. There is NO reason a Doberman needs cropped ears or a docked tail. Simone Biles isn't a demon for buying a purebred puppy, but she should have chosen an ethical breeder that doesn't mutilate their dogs just for "looks".
Stan 3 weeks ago
THIS. Thank you. I get that there are dogs in need that need to be adopted, but there are also so many variables in adoption. Some of those dogs end up back in the shelter multiple times because of various reasons, and that's heartbreaking too. I don't shame anyone for wanting to get a dog from a breeder, if yes, ethical and they don't dock/crop.
Load More Replies...
Jalunney 3 weeks ago
PETA the biggest animal killers in the world are shocked by docking. Yes mostly around the world it's banned but the home of the biggest animal killers is DFUsa so it's OK. Is this a joke
Kelly Scott 3 weeks ago
But everyone on here is buying into what they're saying, aren't they? Now we know how Trump got elected. Get the craziest person or group around to tell people what they want to hear, and boom, everyone is an instant expert and everyone quotes the crazy group.
Load More Replies...
WubiDubi 3 weeks ago
Regardless of this issue (promoting docking), s***w PETA. They are a semi cult, not an authority on animals, they love money over animals, they have no idea how to be humane to people nor animals, need stripping of charity status, stripping of their logo on products and labeling as a terrorist organisation.
Chonky Panda 3 weeks ago
W*f most ppl on here voted "she did nothing wrong"??? Do you know how painful this procedure is???
LakotaWolf (she/her) 3 weeks ago
AND it's done to puppies who have NO IDEA what is going on. They just know that someone is hurting them and that they're in pain, and that they have to wear weird, restrictive, unnatural things on their ears until the cartilage hardens. You can't explain any of this to a dog, they simply suffer and don't know WHY they are suffering. I find that horrible conceptually, especially since it's a pain that the dog does NOT have to go through (unlike an injury/surgery for illness/etc.)
Load More Replies...
mp7dvnrw85 3 weeks ago
Cropping dogs’ ears is illegal in the U.K., most of Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. It’s barbaric.
PenguinEmp 3 weeks ago
F**k her. Want to get a pure? Fine. Don't crop the ears. I don't like Peta or what they do. This is just plain wrong and the only time I agree with peta. Lost a fan Simone
Jorie 3 weeks ago
This is what happens when you have more money than brains or heart. Just look at the two of them. Designer clothes, not a hair out of place. I guess they want a "perfect" dog, too. They could have done so much for the "don't shop, adopt" cause and come out looking like real animal advocates.
CJandMuse 3 weeks ago
PETA are a bunch of hypocrites. The (healthy) animals they go out of their way to publicly save, are almost always put down without any effort to home them. They are just as horrible as Greenpeace, who in the 80s purchased nuclear weapons and threatened to use them against anyone who had them. Both groups will go to whereever they want to protest and leave the area absolutely filthy with rubbish and discarded junk. Groups like these give those who do want to help a bad name
Kelly Scott 3 weeks ago (edited)
I'm putting this up in 4 parts because of length. To start, I'm going to come right out and say it, I got a pedigreed dog from a ethical breeder because that breed had the qualities I wanted in a dog. What is an ethical breeder? In the Doberman world, it's someone who breeds for the betterment of the breed. They follow the standard of their parent club. They breed to eliminate health issues. They do health testing on their own dogs. They research pedigrees. They know the faults and good points of their own dogs and they breed to carry on the good points and delete the faults if possible. They don't breed or sell for the money. They have you sign a contract. They have requirements you must meet as an owner (fenced yard, spay and neuter). And most important to me is they will take the dog back if for any reason I can't keep him. These are not things I could get from a humane society anywhere, unfortunately. That's why I bought from an ethical breeder.
Kelly Scott 3 weeks ago (edited)
People, get. some. smarts about cropping and docking. EARS are made of cartilage. NO ONE says a woman should be banned from getting her ears pierced but there you go. But ear cropping HAS to be done by a qualified vet who knows what they're doing. And thanks to you anti-croppers, there are fewer and fewer vets today that train to crop ears. What we have instead are unqualified croppers who cause the dog pain when they crop because they don't know what they're doing and that is all on YOU people. YOU caused that. So while you're crying about the pain a dog goes through when they get their ears cropped by an unqualified vet, look in the mirror. That's YOUR fault. It's just like abortion. You ban abortion, then you drive women into back-alley abortion clinics where they are much more likely to be mutilated or die. Ban ear cropping and you drive people to unqualified vets that really do hurt the dog when they crop ears.
Kelly Scott 3 weeks ago (edited)
I have never seen such stupid comments on this like I've seen on this article. I owned a cropped and docked Doberman. I KNOW what I'm talking about when I talk about cropping and docking. My Dobe got all of his obedience degrees. He got his tracking degree. He was a member of a Doberman drill team where we invited the public to come up and pet the dogs after a performance. He trained for search and rescue. He visited nursing homes. He loved children, much more than I do. He passed two temperament tests, one with the American Temperament Test Association and one with the Doberman Pinscher Club of America. Does all THIS sound like a dog whose temperament had been ruined by the so-called "pain" of cropping and docking? Virtually ALL Dobes in the show ring have had their ears cropped. ALL Dobermans in the show ring HAVE to have their teeth counted by the judge. ANY Doberman that shows signs of aggression are dismissed from the ring. Do you know how many Dobes I've seen dismissed for aggression over the years? One. Just one. Now if ear cropping were as traumatic as everyone has you believe, don't you think that every one of these dogs would try to bite a strange judge handling their heads and opening their mouths? THINK about it. Edited to add: Dobes love to have their ears rubbed.
Kelly Scott 3 weeks ago (edited)
I have never seen so many intelligent people who support vaccination act like stupid anti-vaxxers when it comes to cropping and docking. First of all, if you don't know the difference between cropping and docking, then you don't know what the hell you're talking about, so just shut the f**k up. Second, if you've never been around Dobe puppies that have been cropped by a reputable vet, then you don't know what the hell you're talking about, so just shut the f**k up. Third, if all you've ever been told about cropping and docking comes from PETA (of all the idiot groups around), or from stories that try to rage induce you and straight up lie about the procedures, then you don't know what the hell you're talking about, so just shut the f**k up. But if you want to LEARN anything about cropping and docking, go to a dog show. Go see the Dobermans. Talk to the owners. Then if you're of the same opinion as before, fine, at least you've gotten both sides of the story.
mp7dvnrw85 3 weeks ago
I know several lovely Dobermans. As I’m in the U.K., they all have their tails and ears. There are plenty of people who breed and show Dobermans who will tell you that it’s completely unnecessary to mutilate your dog.
Load More Replies...
Kit Black 3 weeks ago
And yet the same animal rights activists who get upset about cropping a doberman's ears are totally okay with cropping the ear of a cat that is being TNR'd....
LakotaWolf (she/her) 3 weeks ago
Oh, come on. TNR eartipping is not even REMOTELY the same as cropping a dog's ears. That's a completely spurious thing to say. TNR eartipping takes the very eartip of ONE ear - NOT both ears - and they only remove about 3/8ths of an inch or less. This is a minimal amount of tissue and it bleeds very little, UNLIKE cropping. AND TNR eartipping is done under anesthesia while the cat is being spayed/neutered anyway, so it's not like the TNR volunteers are just cutting off a cat's eartip with scissors.
Load More Replies...
Becky Samuel 3 weeks ago
You can't compare surgery done under anaesthetic for the welfare of the animal to someone cutting off part of their body for cosmetic reasons with scissors. And a lot of people think circumcision is barbaric too.
Load More Replies...
LakotaWolf (she/her) 3 weeks ago (edited)
It's completely acceptable to buy a purebred dog from a breeder, if the breeder is ethical and moral and not a "puppy mill". It is OKAY to want a certain breed of dog. But NO dogs "need" to be cropped or docked. There is absolutely NO reason to crop the ears or dock the tail except for the owner's vanity of wanting a certain "look". (Medically-needed docking for injury or "happy tail syndrome" does not fall under this rubric, nor do certain instances of ear-cropping in livestock guardian breeds - this protects the LG dog by removing things that predators can grab/injure.) Cropping/docking puppies at birth/soon after birth is absolutely abhorrent. There is NO reason a Doberman needs cropped ears or a docked tail. Simone Biles isn't a demon for buying a purebred puppy, but she should have chosen an ethical breeder that doesn't mutilate their dogs just for "looks".
Stan 3 weeks ago
THIS. Thank you. I get that there are dogs in need that need to be adopted, but there are also so many variables in adoption. Some of those dogs end up back in the shelter multiple times because of various reasons, and that's heartbreaking too. I don't shame anyone for wanting to get a dog from a breeder, if yes, ethical and they don't dock/crop.
Load More Replies... Jalunney 3 weeks ago
PETA the biggest animal killers in the world are shocked by docking. Yes mostly around the world it's banned but the home of the biggest animal killers is DFUsa so it's OK. Is this a joke
Kelly Scott 3 weeks ago
But everyone on here is buying into what they're saying, aren't they? Now we know how Trump got elected. Get the craziest person or group around to tell people what they want to hear, and boom, everyone is an instant expert and everyone quotes the crazy group.
Load More Replies... WubiDubi 3 weeks ago
Regardless of this issue (promoting docking), s***w PETA. They are a semi cult, not an authority on animals, they love money over animals, they have no idea how to be humane to people nor animals, need stripping of charity status, stripping of their logo on products and labeling as a terrorist organisation.
Chonky Panda 3 weeks ago
W*f most ppl on here voted "she did nothing wrong"??? Do you know how painful this procedure is???
LakotaWolf (she/her) 3 weeks ago
AND it's done to puppies who have NO IDEA what is going on. They just know that someone is hurting them and that they're in pain, and that they have to wear weird, restrictive, unnatural things on their ears until the cartilage hardens. You can't explain any of this to a dog, they simply suffer and don't know WHY they are suffering. I find that horrible conceptually, especially since it's a pain that the dog does NOT have to go through (unlike an injury/surgery for illness/etc.)
Load More Replies... mp7dvnrw85 3 weeks ago
Cropping dogs’ ears is illegal in the U.K., most of Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. It’s barbaric.
PenguinEmp 3 weeks ago
F**k her. Want to get a pure? Fine. Don't crop the ears. I don't like Peta or what they do. This is just plain wrong and the only time I agree with peta. Lost a fan Simone
Jorie 3 weeks ago
This is what happens when you have more money than brains or heart. Just look at the two of them. Designer clothes, not a hair out of place. I guess they want a "perfect" dog, too. They could have done so much for the "don't shop, adopt" cause and come out looking like real animal advocates.
CJandMuse 3 weeks ago
PETA are a bunch of hypocrites. The (healthy) animals they go out of their way to publicly save, are almost always put down without any effort to home them. They are just as horrible as Greenpeace, who in the 80s purchased nuclear weapons and threatened to use them against anyone who had them. Both groups will go to whereever they want to protest and leave the area absolutely filthy with rubbish and discarded junk. Groups like these give those who do want to help a bad name
Kelly Scott 3 weeks ago (edited)
I'm putting this up in 4 parts because of length. To start, I'm going to come right out and say it, I got a pedigreed dog from a ethical breeder because that breed had the qualities I wanted in a dog. What is an ethical breeder? In the Doberman world, it's someone who breeds for the betterment of the breed. They follow the standard of their parent club. They breed to eliminate health issues. They do health testing on their own dogs. They research pedigrees. They know the faults and good points of their own dogs and they breed to carry on the good points and delete the faults if possible. They don't breed or sell for the money. They have you sign a contract. They have requirements you must meet as an owner (fenced yard, spay and neuter). And most important to me is they will take the dog back if for any reason I can't keep him. These are not things I could get from a humane society anywhere, unfortunately. That's why I bought from an ethical breeder.
Kelly Scott 3 weeks ago (edited)
People, get. some. smarts about cropping and docking. EARS are made of cartilage. NO ONE says a woman should be banned from getting her ears pierced but there you go. But ear cropping HAS to be done by a qualified vet who knows what they're doing. And thanks to you anti-croppers, there are fewer and fewer vets today that train to crop ears. What we have instead are unqualified croppers who cause the dog pain when they crop because they don't know what they're doing and that is all on YOU people. YOU caused that. So while you're crying about the pain a dog goes through when they get their ears cropped by an unqualified vet, look in the mirror. That's YOUR fault. It's just like abortion. You ban abortion, then you drive women into back-alley abortion clinics where they are much more likely to be mutilated or die. Ban ear cropping and you drive people to unqualified vets that really do hurt the dog when they crop ears.
Kelly Scott 3 weeks ago (edited)
I have never seen such stupid comments on this like I've seen on this article. I owned a cropped and docked Doberman. I KNOW what I'm talking about when I talk about cropping and docking. My Dobe got all of his obedience degrees. He got his tracking degree. He was a member of a Doberman drill team where we invited the public to come up and pet the dogs after a performance. He trained for search and rescue. He visited nursing homes. He loved children, much more than I do. He passed two temperament tests, one with the American Temperament Test Association and one with the Doberman Pinscher Club of America. Does all THIS sound like a dog whose temperament had been ruined by the so-called "pain" of cropping and docking? Virtually ALL Dobes in the show ring have had their ears cropped. ALL Dobermans in the show ring HAVE to have their teeth counted by the judge. ANY Doberman that shows signs of aggression are dismissed from the ring. Do you know how many Dobes I've seen dismissed for aggression over the years? One. Just one. Now if ear cropping were as traumatic as everyone has you believe, don't you think that every one of these dogs would try to bite a strange judge handling their heads and opening their mouths? THINK about it. Edited to add: Dobes love to have their ears rubbed.
Kelly Scott 3 weeks ago (edited)
I have never seen so many intelligent people who support vaccination act like stupid anti-vaxxers when it comes to cropping and docking. First of all, if you don't know the difference between cropping and docking, then you don't know what the hell you're talking about, so just shut the f**k up. Second, if you've never been around Dobe puppies that have been cropped by a reputable vet, then you don't know what the hell you're talking about, so just shut the f**k up. Third, if all you've ever been told about cropping and docking comes from PETA (of all the idiot groups around), or from stories that try to rage induce you and straight up lie about the procedures, then you don't know what the hell you're talking about, so just shut the f**k up. But if you want to LEARN anything about cropping and docking, go to a dog show. Go see the Dobermans. Talk to the owners. Then if you're of the same opinion as before, fine, at least you've gotten both sides of the story.
mp7dvnrw85 3 weeks ago
I know several lovely Dobermans. As I’m in the U.K., they all have their tails and ears. There are plenty of people who breed and show Dobermans who will tell you that it’s completely unnecessary to mutilate your dog.
Load More Replies... Kit Black 3 weeks ago
And yet the same animal rights activists who get upset about cropping a doberman's ears are totally okay with cropping the ear of a cat that is being TNR'd....
LakotaWolf (she/her) 3 weeks ago
Oh, come on. TNR eartipping is not even REMOTELY the same as cropping a dog's ears. That's a completely spurious thing to say. TNR eartipping takes the very eartip of ONE ear - NOT both ears - and they only remove about 3/8ths of an inch or less. This is a minimal amount of tissue and it bleeds very little, UNLIKE cropping. AND TNR eartipping is done under anesthesia while the cat is being spayed/neutered anyway, so it's not like the TNR volunteers are just cutting off a cat's eartip with scissors.
Load More Replies... Becky Samuel 3 weeks ago
You can't compare surgery done under anaesthetic for the welfare of the animal to someone cutting off part of their body for cosmetic reasons with scissors. And a lot of people think circumcision is barbaric too.
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