PUBLIC ENEMY star Flavor Flav has incurred the wrath of animal lovers across America after beating a puppy on VH1 reality show The Surreal Life.

The gold-teethed rapper, real name WILLIAM DRAYTON, decided to show his housemates on the show how to discipline a dog when the house puppy urinated on the floor.

His celebrity pals reeled in horror as he hit the dog on the nose with a rolled up newspaper, and now he could face legal action from a Hollywood animal rights group.

A spokesman for LAST CHANCE FOR ANIMALS says, "It sends out a bad message to people out there that this is the way you discipline a dog - by smacking him on the face.

"We will investigate and we'll file charges against this Flavor Flav."

If found guilty of a cruelty misdemeanour, the rapper could face a year in jail.

Meanwhile, VH1 bosses have been inundated with complaints from fans of the show who were upset by Flav's dog beating.

11/11/2004 02:33