Between seven and nine weeks old, a Doberman puppy bred at Regal Empire Dobermans underwent general anesthesia for surgical ear cropping. The puppy’s natural floppy ears—evolved to communicate emotion and direct sound—were cropped short and stitched into permanent points.
The puppy spent three to six months with bandages, splints, and isolation, healing from surgery performed not because of illness but because a future owner wanted it to look different. No one asked the puppy’s opinion.
The Instagram Post That Sparked Outrage
On December 14, 2025, breeder William Regal posted photos celebrating two Doberman puppy placements: one with Olympic gymnast Simone Biles and her NFL husband Jonathan Owens, another with Chicago Bears cornerback Josh Blackwell. The images showed smiling humans, proud dogs, and cropped ears that would trigger one of the year’s most intense animal welfare controversies.
What Regal intended as a business celebration became Exhibit A in a national debate about celebrity responsibility, animal welfare, and who decides what happens to a dog’s body.
PETA’s Two-Pronged Attack Lands Hard
Two days later, PETA sent a letter directly to Biles and Owens. The organization attacked the entire decision on two fronts: purchasing from a breeder instead of adopting a shelter dog, and subjecting the puppy to cosmetic surgery.
“Ear cropping is excruciatingly painful and permanently disfiguring them for no reason other than to achieve a certain look,” the letter stated, according to reports. The backlash was instant, personal, and unforgiving.
The Puppy’s First Five Months
While humans debated ethics on social media, the puppy remained in recovery—enduring bandage changes every three to seven days, kept isolated from other dogs to prevent injuries, and unable to play freely with its littermates.
The ears remained splinted upright, cartilage constantly under tension, as pain medications gradually wore off.
Why Dobermans Look the Way They Do
Dobermans are naturally intimidating dogs—muscular, intelligent, alert, and genetically predisposed to protective instincts. Breeder William Regal told Inside Edition and TMZ that cropped ears make them “look more menacing” and help them appear as guard dogs. But a Doberman is already menacing without modification.
The breed was developed in the 1890s in Germany specifically to be a protection dog, and selective breeding created dogs with natural protective abilities.
The Medical Justification
Regal defended ear cropping by claiming it prevents hematomas, reduces the risk of infection, and helps dogs hear better. However, the American Veterinary Medical Association disputes all three claims. Modern veterinary research indicates that cropped ears offer no significant hearing advantage, and infections are more likely to occur during the vulnerable post-surgical healing period than with natural ears.
Hematomas are rare complications that can be treated without surgery. The medical justification for ear cropping collapses under scientific scrutiny, yet it remains legal in the United States.
A Celebrity’s Platform Amplifies a Puppy’s Pain
Simone Biles commands approximately 12.5 million Instagram followers, making her one of the world’s most-watched athletes. Her 2024 Paris Olympics dominance added millions more followers who view her as a role model and trendsetter. When she posted photos of her new Doberman, that image instantly reached a global audience.
PETA’s letter specifically addressed this reality: “Imagine what it’s like to work in a shelter only to see someone of your popularity and influence posing for a breeder’s Instagram page,” the organization wrote.
The Shelter Crisis She Could Have Prevented
Approximately 2.8 million dogs entered U.S. shelters in 2024. While 4.2 million shelter animals were adopted, approximately 334,000 dogs were euthanized due to overcrowding and lack of available homes.
PETA estimates that purebred dogs, including Dobermans, represent at least 25 percent of shelter populations. Rescue organizations can often fulfill desires for specific breeds without supporting commercial breeding.
The Breeder’s Defiant Response
When an Instagram user questioned the ethics of ear cropping, Regal Empire Dobermans responded, “Because I can…. Next question.” This wasn’t a reasoned defense—it was an explicit statement that ethics don’t matter if legality permits it.
When urged to promote adoption, the breeder responded dismissively, suggesting that ethical concerns were merely a form of “virtue signaling.”
Death Threats and the Spiral Into Darkness
By December 19, 2025, breeder William Regal reported receiving death threats and seriously menacing emails. While Regal deserves serious criticism for ear-cropping practices and a dismissive attitude, the threats crossed a line into terrorism.
PETA spokesperson Moira Colley stated, “Just because something is still legal for now doesn’t mean it isn’t cruel”. The controversy spiraled from a philosophical debate about animal welfare into chaos, where animal lovers threatened physical violence and a breeder played victim while defending practices most of the developed world has already outlawed.
Biles’ History With Dogs Tells a Different Story
Before the Doberman controversy, Simone Biles’ relationship with animals reflected different values. She adopted two French Bulldogs, Lilo and Rambo, in 2018 and 2020, and did not purchase them from breeders.
In an interview with Healthline, Biles revealed that these adopted dogs provided crucial emotional support during her mentally taxing period following the Tokyo Olympics. “Coming home to Lilo and Rambo gave me a special kind of support I didn’t realize I needed,” she said. The contrast is stark: adoption for emotional support, breeding for security.
The Protection Dog Justification
Regal told TMZ that Biles “simply wanted a dog for protection”. However, veterinary behaviorists counter that protective ability correlates with temperament, training, and socialization—not ear shape. Rescue organizations specializing in Dobermans report that adult dogs available for adoption often possess the same protective instincts as puppies, while offering known temperament and completed training.
Moreover, a Doberman puppy at seven to nine weeks old is far too young to assess protective potential.
Europe Made This Illegal Decades Ago
The 1987 European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals banned cosmetic ear cropping across Austria, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The UK went further, banning cropped-ear dogs from competition even if the procedure was performed legally elsewhere.
Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Israel, and numerous other developed nations followed. Yet in the United States, no federal law prohibits ear cropping, and regulations vary by state.
The Veterinary Community Spoke
The American Veterinary Medical Association opposes cosmetic ear cropping and encourages eliminating it from breed standards. The American Animal Hospital Association issued “milestone” accreditation standards in August 2024, discouraging the practices of ear cropping, devocalization, and declawing.
According to AVMA literature, the procedure carries significant risks: anesthesia complications, post-surgical infections, scarring, phantom pain, and improperly healed ears requiring corrective surgery. Yet breeders like Regal continue performing it because U.S. law permits it.
Four Dogs, Two Different Philosophies
The Biles-Owens household includes Lilo and Rambo (Biles’ adopted French Bulldogs), Zeus (Owens’ English Bulldog owned before their relationship), and the Doberman puppy from the breeder.
The presence of three previously owned dogs that weren’t subjected to cosmetic surgery raises an uncomfortable question: Why adopt mixed-breed rescues but purchase a purebred from a breeder who performs ear cropping?
The Silence That Speaks Louder Than Words
As of December 30, 2025—two weeks after the controversy erupted—neither Biles nor Owens has publicly responded to PETA’s letter or the backlash. Representatives for Biles contacted by the media provided no comment.
This silence from an athlete who typically maintains an active social media presence and has addressed complex topics around mental health and athlete welfare is notably conspicuous. I
Who Is Actually to Blame
Blaming only Biles oversimplifies a systemic problem. William Regal operates in compliance with U.S. regulations. Biles followed the legal pathway available as a consumer. PETA uses aggressive shame tactics that sometimes obscure legitimate questions. Congress hasn’t passed federal legislation restricting ear cropping.
Veterinary organizations oppose the practice but are unable to prevent it legally. This is systemic failure involving law, industry, professional standards, and consumer behavior.
The Doberman Never Got a Vote
The young Doberman’s fate was determined by a chain of decisions made without consulting the creature most affected. A breeder performed ear cropping because breed standards and market demand supported it.
A consumer purchased from that breeder rather than adopting. Social media amplified the controversy. Animal welfare advocates condemned it. Veterinarians opposed it on medical grounds. Yet throughout this entire debate, the puppy’s own interests—freedom from unnecessary pain, ability to communicate, bodily autonomy—have been secondary to adult human preferences.
Celebrity Choices Carry Weight Beyond Privacy
Simone Biles didn’t intend to start a culture war over dog breeding ethics. She simply wanted a new dog. But celebrity status doesn’t grant privacy on such decisions—millions of followers see the choice and validate it by copying it.
When Biles purchased from a breeder performing ear cropping, she tacitly endorsed the practice to an audience of 12.5 million people.
What Happens Next Depends on Who Chooses to Act
Will Biles eventually break her silence and address the controversy? Will she advocate for changes to breed standards, eliminating ear cropping? Will she use her platform to promote rescue adoption over breeding? Or will this fade from headlines, controversy unresolved, and the Doberman’s ears permanently altered?
The answers matter because they determine whether this incident becomes a turning point in how celebrities approach their animal welfare responsibilities, or just another social media frenzy. The puppy will carry the consequences either way.
Sources:
Simone Biles Under Fire After Allegations About Her Puppy Emerge – Yahoo News
Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens Receive PETA Letter Over Pet Care Concerns – EssentiallySports
Simone Biles’ Dog Breeder Claims He’s Getting Death Threats For Ear Cropping Pup – TMZ Sports
PETA Slams Simone Biles Over New Puppy – Newsweek
Simone Biles Dog Breeder Speaks Out After Backlash – Newsweek