Cropping ears and docking tails...?

Question

How many people agree with me that these processes are disgusting and inhumane? Why do we still do it? How sad that some sick 'experts' in the dog show world have decided that mutilating dogs horribly makes them more attractive..

BTW - I AM educated, and I clearly DO know what I am talking about! You can make all the excuses you like. These are supposed to be pets, and - please - face lifts?! Come on, who makes those decisions? The stupid people themselves!!

Oh - and IRB081? You are talking crap!!

Answer 1

Well actually,I don't know how the laws are in USA but it is illegal in Europe.Sadly there are still a lot of vets who do this procedures.It is sad to see,the animals DO suffer from pain and excessive bleeding,especially when they are older.
And for those who say they look better without them or they are supposed to look like that I have only one thing to say:If they were supposed to look like that God would have made them like that.He didn't so stop playing God yourself and leave your animals how they were born.If you wanna chop something of,do it on yourself!
The only way I can agree with an amputation like that is when the dogs are very aggressive and bite each other,which can lead to infections or when there are medical reasons,like trauma,and there is nothing else that can be done.I can accept it only when it's for the well-fare of the animal.

*****

For those who doubt whether this procedure is illegal or not let me tell you:IT IS ILLEGAL,ask any vet!As I already mentioned there are vets who still do this(most of them here in greece) but they do it because if they don't they will lose that client and sadly most of the vets think about their pockets first and then about the well-fare of the animal they are treating.
I already said that I agree with this procedures,IF IT IS NECCESERY,like when there are more than one dogs in the "family" and they are aggressive to each other,or when there is an injury.
But most dogs nowadays have milder characters(because they are treated better than a few decades ago) and if you are gonna cut off everything that might get hurt why don't you start by the legs of the animal,almost every animal will have at least once in their lifetime an injury or infection on their foot,leg etc....
And for those who will call me stupid or will doubt whether I have knowledge of what I'm speaking off,let me tell you I'm a vet student,I have seen it done,the dogs are in pain,even when they are young and there is high risk of infections cause most people don't know,or don't bother learning what they need to do after this procedure to keep the wound germ-free.And in the five years I'm studying I haven't heard once someone at the university mentioning that this is ok or good for the animal...If you wanna make excuses by all means go ahead,but don't call the people who do know what they are talking about ignorant!

Answer 2

Not to be rude but I believe that you should not make comments on a subect that you clearly do not understand. I myself have witnessed tail docking on working spaniel puppies (my own) and some of the puppies let out a small yelp (as they sometimes do when having 1st innoculation) some did not even wake up! They bled a minimal amount. My working spaniels are docked to prevent serious injuries while working the fields. This as already stated by another person is neccessary because the injuries which can occur are much worse to the animal than the docking is. Also to whoever stated it is illegal in europe, I believe you are also wrong as there are still vets who will carry out this proceedure. I believe it is to the vets discretion whether they do it or not. Please research before you comment. I do not believe it is right to change an animals look purely for superficial reasons but if being done for the right reasons as stated then I see nothing wrong with it.

Answer 3

I have to disagree with you. I think everyone should have a choice, there shouldn't be a law that forbids it. I do think that it all has to be done in a humane way, but I'm glad my dobie has a docked tail, and even though I decided not to crop her ears, I do like the look of it on some dogs.

I think it's more inhumane to run a puppymill where dogs are kept in cages all their life and are only let out to mate. Those are the sick people, that view their dogs as a business to make money.

Answer 4

Please note requirements
No cropping on the staffy
http://www.akc.org/breeds/staffordshire_bull_terrier/index.cfm

Dobie it states normally cropped but no where does it state it is required.
http://www.akc.org/breeds/doberman_pinscher/index.cfm

AKC no longer "requires" these but they do recognize the right to maintain that standard from the past. If you ask most vets they will also agree to the cropping being very painful but if they don't do it them some hill jack will do it in their back yard.

Docking should be done at such a young age the pet doesn't know its done.

Answer 5

If done properly and by a professional at the correct age the dog has no recollection of the event. Obviously you have no knowledge of why these things are done. Believe it or not it was started to save the dog discomfort while performing the duty it was bred for. Also, it is required to maintain the breed standard in many cases. The breed standard demonstrates the dogs true heritage and purpose for that particular breed of dog and its uses. As a nurse I saw many people have their newborn babies ears pierced not to mention the little boys that were circumcised. Will they outlaw that? How many of those babies feel ashamed and are suffering the after effects of their parents decision to do it? Have you ever taken a dog out into the fields and had it return with several burrs in it? How painful is it to remove them? Have you ever had a dog break a tail? Let me guess you have only ever owned a dog as a pet right??? I can tell.

Answer 6

Clearly you are not educated enough about history and the reasons behind why it's common for certain breeds to have docked tails. They are certainly not "mutilating" the animal like you claim they are. Might I add that if a dog's tail is docked at the correct age, it's no different than a man being circumsized... he will not remember any pain that was involved, nor will it leave any emotional scars.

Though YOU may think it's inhumane, there are reasons behind tail docking. A number of working gundog/hunting breeds have to hunt game through heavy vegetation which often has sharp bristles and thorns; their fast tail action can easily lead to torn and bleeding tails which are painful and extremely difficult to treat. Docking the end of the tail eliminates the risk of injury. Going along with the damaged tails, another key reason is that there are some breeds which have an enthusiastic tail action, and are liable to damage their tails, even in the home.

Here's a bit of information to swallow.... since docking was banned in Sweden in 1989, there has been a massive increase in tail injuries amongst previously docked breeds. Within the 50 un-docked Pointer litters registered in that year with the Swedish Kennel Club, 38% of dogs suffered tail injury before they were 18 months old and in 1991, the number of individuals with tail injures had increased to 51% of the group.

So what is more inhumane? Docking a dog's tail at an age where it causes no lifetime effects or not docking and dog's tail and have them injured and then you're left wondering what you could have done to prevent it?

Docking is carried out when puppies are tiny. Their eyes are not yet open and long experience indicates that carried out correctly, the procedure causes no pain or discomfort. Just like a sleeping baby gets her ears pierced and often times doesn't wake up, it's the exact same thing with puppies. Most puppies which are docked while they are asleep, don't even wake up!

*** To rebuke your recently added comment about them being pets, etc... you're right, they ARE pets, and part of being a RESPONSIBLE pet owner means taking the appropriate measures to ensure our pet's health is priority. By docking the tails of CERTAIN breeds, you are ensuring that the utmost safety of the animal is addressed. By pissing and moaning about the "K9 face lifts" as you so ignorantly put it, just further proves my theory about you not being educated enough about the practice nor the reasons why it's done.

Might I add that if you consider tail docking to be so horrific, then I take it that you would be opposed to the trimming of under-eye skin from Bloodhounds, Pugs, Shar Pei's and other breeds that have a documented history of eye diseases brought on by the excess skin? Though not each dog will need it, there are thousands that do each year. I ask you, why is it medically acceptable to remove skin from a dog's face when they're at an age where healing may not only take longer, but also be more painful, yet tail docking immediately after birth, to avoid injured bones in the future, is not?

Answer 7

I disagree! I have had the pleasure of being owned by dobermans for 24 yrs, and wouldn't have it any other way!

If I wanted a dogs with a long tail and floppy ears, I would've gotten hounds.

Answer 8

How many women do you know that have had a face lift or a nose job??????

No, I disagree with you just like I disagree with all PETA trolls.

Are you sure you want to buy into the HSUS-BS

"We have no ethical obligation to preserve the different breeds of livestock produced through selective breeding. ...One generation and out. We have no problems with the extinction of domestic animals. They are creations of human selective breeding" - HSUS VP Wayne Pacelle, Animal People, May, 1993

Answer 9

There is no reason behind tail docking. Breeds who have docked tails and those who have undocked tails have the same ratio of tail splitting problems. We had a labrador at work this summer who had his tail docked by emergency need because he wagged it so much it split down the end and bled badly. Docking should only be done on the basis of need because there is no way to predict which dog's tails will split. It is also very painful. You can hear the screams of the two day old puppies throughout the whole clinic when the docking is done.

Answer 10

well said if a dog was supposed to have cropped ears and docked tails theyd have been born like it well said about the sick experts have a few dogs around recently that are normally docked with full tails including rotties and they look brilliant far prettier