Photos allegedly show man who had plastic surgery in order to make himself resemble a dog. Are these images real or fake?

The images display a work of art, not the result of plastic surgery on a human.

First, let’s take a look at the claim being circulated:

A man in Brazil has undergone surgery to look like a dog. According to reports, the man in question loves dogs and wants to look like them. His eyebrows, mouth, ears and part of his head were all worked on. The pictures are very disturbing.

These images show a work of art created by artist Rodrigo Braga. The carcass of a euthanized dog was used, pieces of which were attached to a replica of Braga in order to create this 2004 work of art entitled “Compensation Fantasy.” The photos were digitally enhanced to create a more lifelike appearance.

Braga noted that the dog had previously been euthanized and that he had permission to use its carcass. He stated that the work had been created “by the use of procedures that mixed plastic production (real) and digital manipulation (virtual), not causing suffering or death to the animal, which body was provided by the Centre for Environmental Monitoring of the City Hall of Recife – Brazil…”

Braga’s website has a series of images showing the work. Some of the images are rather graphic, and some readers have expressed outrage that the dog’s body was used in such a way. Others have suggested the dog was killed for the sole purpose of this work, but Braga states that the animal’s body was provided to him by a shelter after euthanizing it.

Source

• Rodrigo Braga Official Website, RodrigoBraga.com.br (offline as of November 2014)