A North Carolina man created an internet firestorm after tattooing his five-month-old purebred American Pit Bull Duchess' underbelly and posting a photo of it on his Facebook page, according to reports.

The man in question, Ernesto Rodriguez, is a tattoo artist and Army veteran. He told WXII12 that he inked Duchess so that if the dog ever got away from him it would be easily identifiable. "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."

Since posting the photo, Rodriguez has received varying degrees of animosity from outraged animal lovers on social media. In the Daily Mail, one offended viewer of Rodriguez' post said, "This is so sad. There is not a dog in the world who deserves to go through this type of cruelty. I feel terrible for any dog in your care. I wish they would take them all away and find safe, loving homes for them."

Another friend of canines was even nastier, telling Rodriguez "I hope that you rot in hell for the torture you made that dog endure.. you are a sick creature.. and a cruel human.. no better than someone who makes their dogs fight!!"

Rodriguez told WXII12 that Duchess was anesthetized before receiving the tattoo and that the dog is just fine. He responded to the disapproving critics on Facebook by posting a retort that read, "Here is the final result for you haters out there... Animal control came looked at my beautiful dog and left.... wow... what a waste of tax payers money... so im still gonna tattoo my dogs when ever i feel like it... good try haters thanks for all the advertisement."

An investigation is ongoing and while no charges have been filed against Rodriguez, he has been issued a cease and desist order, which means he must stop tattooing until he receives proper zoning permits.