Officer's wife tries to sell bleeding puppy on Facebook

The recent attempt by the wife of a Jackson police officer to sell a bloodied puppy online has sparked criticism and outrage on social media.

According to the head of one local animal shelter, the puppy appears to have undergone a cropping of its ears at home, a procedure at least one veterinarian said should be done at an animal hospital or veterinarian's clinic.

Brandy Giddens, wife of Jackson Police Department officer Rahn Gidden, posted photos of a small, gray puppy with bloody ears in the Pearl, Brandon, Richland, Flowood II Yardsale pages on Facebook (those posts have been taken down).  She also posted photos of a small, brown, "Tri Pit" puppy for sale on the page for $200. That puppy's ears also appear to have been cut.

Cropping dogs' ears is illegal in Jackson, according to Sec 18-4 of the city's Code of Ordinances, which states "no person shall crop a dog's ears or perform any other major or minor surgical procedures except a licensed veterinarian."

Brandy Giddens said Wednesday that the dogs did not belong to her and she posted them on social media as a favor for a friend of a friend.

Referencing the gray puppy, Giddens said, "I've never seen this dog a day in my life."

Another puppy, named Layla, was purchased from Brandy Giddens and then given to Rescue Tails, an animal rescue shelter in Brookhaven, according to the shelter's president, Heather Daw.

"Her ears were cropped, but we are not sure of the manner in which it was done," Daw said. "However, the seller was clear that it was a 'home crop' and not performed by a veterinarian."

However, Giddens said Layla was not her puppy and she only served as a go between for the dog's owner and the person who bought her.

"I didn't get any money, I was just doing a favor for a friend," she said. "I'm never going to do that again."

Giddens said she was not aware that cropping dogs' ears was illegal in Jackson, saying, "If I had known that I would have never put the dog on there."

Daw described the home crop as "abuse" and said it isn't uncommon.

"In my opinion, ear cropping should only be done by a veterinarian under anesthesia; doing this at home is abuse and it causes the animal tremendous amounts of pain," she said. "Unfortunately, this type of abuse is not uncommon and animal rescues deal with this kind of cruelty, and worse kinds of cruelty, on a regular basis. We in rescue rely on the community for the funding and support that allows us to save animals from situations like this."

Dr. Christine Bryan, a veterinarian with the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine, saw pictures of the gray puppy. Bryan said she could not "definitively" say the puppy's ears were cropped at home but noted the lack of stitches and the appearance of the cropping.

"Typically there’s going to be sutures in place, closing the edges of the cropping," she said. "If it’s done by a veterinarian, it’s usually going to look different than that."

Bryan said cropping a puppy's ears should always be performed by a licensed veterinarian.

"It's a cosmetic procedure but it is a medical procedure, therefore it should be performed by a licensed veterinarian," Bryan said.  "It's not normal to be done at home and not something we would ever recommend."

Bryan said after cropping, the dog would be in a great deal of pain and need pain medication as well as a post-op check-up.

"It's something that needs to be checked by the vet who has done the procedure, and it requires continual care after the procedure," she said.

JPD spokesperson Commander Tyree Jones said Wednesday morning the matter was under review.

"The Jackson Police Department has received information regarding this issue," Jones said. "It is currently being reviewed at this time."

Contact Sarah Fowler at sfowler@gannett.com or 601-961-7303. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.