Brooklyn Tattoo Artist Tattoos His Dog, Infuriates Yelp Users
By David Zumwalt
Though it might look “cool,” we can’t stress this enough — don’t tattoo your pet dog.
Tattoo artist Alex Avgerakis (A.K.A. Mistah Metro) was fired from Red Legged Devils tattoo parlor in Brooklyn after tattooing his dog last Wednesday. Avgerakis posted a photo of his dog on Instagram shortly after finishing the tattoo. The tattooing process took place at a veterinary clinic immediately following a surgery to remove the dog’s spleen, and the dog was unconscious for the duration of the process.
Animal rights activists in New York and across the country were outraged to hear about the incident. Many claimed that tattooing a dog, even a sedated one, is a form of animal cruelty. Chris Torres, the owner of Red Legged Devils, claims that he had nothing to do with the incident. Torres terminated Avgerakis’ employment at Red Legged Devils shortly after the story broke, most likely in response to the massive media storm that has since landed Red Legged Devils in a steaming pile of, well, dog shit.
The incident has, understandably, generated some bad press for the tattoo parlor. Red Legged Devils’ Yelp reviews have taken a turn for the worse, with reviewers sounding off against Avgerakis and the owner. Yelp user Cammie S. from Long Beach, California, accused Torres of employing animal abusers. “The owner… condones tattooing animals,” Cammie writes. “Shame on him.”
Filly G. from Brooklyn also had a lot to say on the subject. In a rambling, somewhat surrealist review of Red Legged Devils, Filly describes entering the tattoo parlor only to find it full of irritable dogs. “Clearly, I failed to realize that dogs were so rabidly passionate about getting tattoos,” Filly writes.
New York dog owners Rebecca and Juami, who frequent Washington Square Park’s dog run, also expressed their outrage at Avgerakis’ actions. “You can’t do that to a dog,” Juami said. “The dog’s not supposed to be getting tattooed. That’s kinda crazy. That’s weird.”
It should be made clear that Avgerakis did not tattoo his dog at Red Legged Devils, although he did use his tattooing machine from the parlor. Avgerakis, along with employees at Red Legged Devils, declined to comment on the incident.
Questions about the story abound. Why would anyone want to tattoo a dog? Why did the veterinarian allow the procedure to take place in his clinic? Was this a firing offense? How will this affect Avgerakis’ 401k? Should tattoo artists be banned from Instagram? Should pictures of dogs? The list goes on.
Whatever your take on the subject, Torres insists that Avgerakis did not commit a crime. “People are still offered jobs after being pedophiles,” Torres said to a Gothamist reporter. “I don’t know why everyone is treating this kid like he raped a 12-year-old.”
