Photo: pxhidalgo (Getty)
I understand people who want to get tattoos to show how much they care about their pets or even to honor them — hell, I have a tattoo of my dog. But regardless of what tattoo you decide to get it is always important that you do your research and learn the meaning behind any tattoo. Why? Because you might end up like the guy in this story.
A Redditor decided to share a story of a dude from his high school who decided to get the same tattoo that his rescued dog had. The dude from the high school shared a photo of the tattoo on his Facebook. Take a look at it below.
Screengrab: REDDIT/ WHOOPIE
The caption reads:
For those of you who know bear know that he has a tattoo given to him from some previous owners. It sickens me to know that people actually tattoo their pets. So tonight I got his tattoo.
Only one problem: Have a look.
Screengrab: REDDIT/WHOOPIE
That’s right, kids, this dog’s tattoo is just to identify that the dog was a neutered male. And according to Someecards, “it’s a standard practice of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians, who require that vets tattoo a shelter animal after they spay or neuter it. That way if a pet is abandoned or gets lost, no vet will accidentally try to neuter the animal again.”
Gizmodo was actually able to track down this poor bloke, and his name is Chris Mendiola. Here’s what he had to say:
“I knew I was going to get a lot of backlash from it. I did. I got some from my coworkers. I got some from people I thought were my close friends. It’s not for them. It wasn’t for them. It wasn’t to humor or please them. It’s for my dog.”
And it seems that Mediola still doesn’t get it.
I definitely did my research. I actually talked to my family vet about it when I first got him. I don’t think that people should crop ears. I don’t think that people should cut tails off their pets. If they’re going to be a member of your family, you should treat them as such. I don’t see tattooing your dog as something that you should do… My vet would never just say, “Hey, willy-nilly, I’m going to tattoo your dog.” It’s not going to happen.
Oh, Chris. Well anyway, Mediola says he’s keeping the tattoo, but might cover it up with a tattoo of his dog’s paw print instead. Yeah, go with that idea, dude, it’s way better.
