A North Carolina man has stirred up controversy with animal lovers after revealing that he tattooed his pet dog, named Duchess.

Ernesto Rodriguez, who is a tattoo artist and Army vet, inked his 5-month-old purebred American Pit Bull on his belly at his tattoo parlor on Wednesday, which he runs out of his basement in Pinnacle, N.C.

When Rodriguez put up the photos of the emblem he inked his pet with on Facebook, he received aggressive criticism from several people across the United States. However, the man says that the tattoo can be used as a means of identification and compared it to branding farm animals.

"What do they do when they brand animals and tattoo horses on their ear and brand their cow? You're not abusing them. You're just protecting them so they don't get lost," Rodriguez said.

"If you go on Google and type up dog tattoos, you'll get a thousand images of dogs tattooed. This has been going on for years," he continued.

According to WXII12, Rodriguez said that the tattoo's design is tied to Duchess's pedigree bloodline.

The dog owner says that his pet was anesthetized, sound asleep, and "didn't feel anything."

"She got up and she's been fine," Rodriguez continued.

However, once Rodriguez posted a picture of Duchess's tattoo on his Planet Ink Facebook page, it ignited a slew of complaints and accusations.

No criminal charges have been filed as of yet against Rodriguez. For animal cruelty to occur, the dog would have to feel pain, be maimed or get dismembered.