Animal Mutilation i.e tail docking, ear cropping, de-clawing etc. Thoughts please?

Question

I recently watched a programme about this sort of thing and it upset me.
I own Jack Russell Terriers, i specifically looked for someone who didnt dock tails. I think its cruel. I believe if it had no purpose evolution would have taken it away a long time ago, like our tails. For some instances perhaps i can understand, although not agree with, like working dogs. Its a limb!
Ear cropping. EAR CROPPING, i mean come on. People argue its like having your ear pierced. Which annoys me in 2 ways. 1. lets chop half their ear off and pierce the other ear, then ask them if it felt the same. 2. Ear piercing is for vanity, mutilating an animal for vanity is cruelty in my eyes.
De-clawing. Dont want scratches? Dont get a cat. How can a cat safely climb a tree, or catch a bird if it gets lost and needs to eat? Sod your expensive curtains, get an adult cat that is less likely to try and climb your curtain!
What i want to know is, is it ok to mutilate an animal in this way for human benefit?

With regard to one of the anwers, having your animal groomed is not the same ascutting off a body part. They all need their nails trimmed and their cot cut, not just for vanity but to keep them in good condition.
I did giggle thinking about you taking your big furball for a "drag" lol

Also many people have answered that some animals need it done for health reasons. I think it goes without saying that if something needs to be amputated for health reasons and to benefit the animal, then that isnt cruel. But amputating a body part for looks, or "because the breed always has ears/tails docked" reasons is what i was aiming at.

Answer 1

I absolutely agree with you on most of these things. The only exception is when it's for the comfort of the animal.

Tail docking is necessary on some dogs, mainly working dogs that will actually be working. Breeds such as heelers (which are herding dogs) are sometimes better off having their tails docked because their tails can get in the way of their jobs (getting stepped on by large animals, getting caught on things, etc). If they are just kept as pets I think they should be able to keep their tails.

Some breeds are prone to ear problems that are remedied by cropping, such as broken cartilage and infections. I know someone who has a boxer with his natural ears. Sometimes he will get broken cartilege just from shaking his head, and it results in painful swelling for the dog. This is a person who wanted the dog with it's natural ears because she, like you, saw no reason for docking. Now she sees how much pain the dog has because of his ears and realizes why they should have been docked.

I see no reason for declawing that is a benefit to the cat, and therefore all my cats have their claws with the exception of one that was already declawed when I adopted her. Cats have claws for a reason, and if a person can't take the time to teach the cat how to use a scratching post instead of the furniture or rug, then that person shouldn't have a cat. Cats CAN be easily trained where to scratch & where not to scratch with consistent use of a squirt bottle. If a person MUST have a declawed cat, it's much better to adopt one that already needs a home rather than declaw another one.

To sum up, NO I definitely don't think it's OK at all unless there is a true benefit to the animal.

Answer 2

In working dogs, like a springer spanial - ones that are actually working - tail docking is done because they can get horrible injuries to their tails from the undergrowth so they are docked to prevent these injuries. I don't agree with docking a dog just because it is a working breed if the dog is going to be a pet. They should wait until the pups are sold, and if bought for working, then the new owner should arrange the docking with a qualified vet under anisthetic.
Ear cropping has no value other than to make the dog look scary! thats just wrong.

De-clawing in cats is generally unnessesary. I can understand if you happen to have a cat that is nasty and scratches people all the time because then it is a safety issue. If you want to de-claw just because the cat scratches the furniture or curtains - get a scratching post - they cost about £20 to buy and the cat will no longer scratch your curtains. In dogs, most dogs have their hind dew claws snipped off at a very early age. This is generally a good thing - although it needs to be done by a qualified vet to ensure it is done properly and without pain. Whoever clipped my collies claws as a puppy didn't do it properly, and so she had half a claw left. This in itself didn't cause problems, but the hind dew claws stick out and catch really easily. I was going to have the remains removed when she was spayed, but she caught it and half ripped it off so had to have it removed early. I have seen several dogs with rear dew claws, and most of these have ripped the claw and required surgery to repair the damage.

We should also remember that although neutering a dog or cat has health benefits, in that it helps prevent cancer etc, as well as prevent too many unwanted kittens and puppies, we often have them neutered because it is easier for us as pet owners - a spayed ***** doesn't require seperation every time she would be in season and male animals stray less.

Answer 3

I think ear cropping/tail docking and especially devocalization (debarking) done for aesthetic reasons is unethical and banned in most countries.

However, there are medical conditions where I have no problem with certain surgeries.

Of course these situations are ones where having the tail for example is more harmful to the dogs health. For example a freak accident in where the tail was already severely damaged before coming into the ER. In a situation like this, the removal of the tail may be necessary.

As for declawing - when people ask about this procedure in general, I think the best thing to do is to educate them on alternatives (such as nail caps like soft paws) that may ultimately sway their opinion on the topic.

Answer 4

I am not totally against dail docking as I know that for some breeds they need to have their tails docked. Such as working dogs that work on a farm and such. Boxers have that overexcited wiggle butt and I can understand why most have their tails docked as they will whack them against everything and everything and can seriously injure themselves. I am against De-clawing as it is a painful procedure for a cat to go through and there are alot of things that can go wrong. I have 3 cats that have all of their claws and they do not tear up anything. They have tons of scratching posts and their very own chair that they can scratch until their hearts content. I like Dobies and Boxers with natural ears. I think cropped ears gives them the appearance that they are mean. I think if dogs are cropped, docked or declawed that it needs to be for the benfit of the animal and their health and safety and not for the benefit of the owner. I did foster a Great Pyrenees that still had her dew claws and she would have kept them but they were really hanging on her rear legs and she kept getting them snagged in stuff so to prevent her from seriously hurting herself, the vet recommended that we have them removed.

Answer 5

If they weren't meant to have those things, they would have been born without them. I think it's cruel to have the tails and ears cropped just to make it more appealing to humans! It's just WRONG! WRONG! WRONG! That should never be a reason to alter the appearance of any animal!

And the same with declawing cats. They have caps that you can buy for their nails so they don't scratch you or your furniture. You can also clip their nails so it's not so sharp. People are lazy and don't want to take the time to manicure their nails. Instead, they just decide to have the claws ripped out of their feet.

It's legalized abuse as far as I'm concerned. POOR BABIES!

Answer 6

I think it's ridiculous. In many European countries even where it's not illegal most vets will refuse to do it. The only excuse I've heard offered was for the docking of cocker's tails, the vet said it was because they dragged them on the ground and picked up trash! Now that's one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. These animals were created (or evolved, if you will) with ears and tails, it's not sensible to remove them just for "fashion."
But then people today tattoo themselves and make holes all over their bodies and call it "fashion"--I suppose the next thing will be cropped ears and noses on humans. Maybe then they'll stop torturing animals for the sake of "fashion."

Answer 7

in the UK, ear cropping and de-clawing is illegal and no vet will do it, and as of April 2007, tail docking will also be illegal, and a dog with a docked tail that has been done post April 2007 will be automatically disqualified from Crufts (massive very important dog show). I believe it's already illegal in Netherlands. Crufts does not recognise ear-cropping either, dogs with their ears cropped are not accepted into the dog show no matter what their pedigree is.

And that's how it should be! I wouldn't dream of declawing my cat, despite her hell-bent destruction of 2 sofas and the carpet on the stairs haha.

Answer 8

I don't think it is.

Animals are living beings, and they should not be 'modified' to satisfy human's needs or desires for a certain 'look' or appearance. It is wrong to treat animals just like objects that can be changed like this to make them apparently look 'nicer'.

Docking tails for example - a tail is an important part of a dog - it uses it to express itself, wagging its tail when happy or putting it between its legs when afraid or upset. Docking the tail prevents the dog from doing this and communicating with other dogs in this way - other dogs cannot 'read' the emotions or behaviour of a docked dog and this can make them vulnerable.

Some changes that are made to animals such as farm animals, are for human benefit and involve selecting and modifying certain species to produce more milk or wool for example, but this practice has been carried out for generations and does not harm the animals in any way - it's simply like selecting a best crop or stud animal and reproducing from it.

I guess this also raises questions linked to genetic engineering in humans also, as well as agricultural applications (eg cloning - Dolly the Sheep). And the attitudes and future of such technology as people become more aware of 'the perfect look, or human'. Already we can screen babies for genetic diseases such as Down's syndrome, eliminating these people from our population. This in itself is a form of genetic selection to eradicate a certain unwanted characteristic.

Although I appreciate animal mutilation does not involve genetic modification, it is, in my opinion, simply linked to the modern attitude of the 'perfect' appearance and the wish of humans to have this 'perfect' look irrespective of the harm it may do. We are all different and variation exists to make our population more stable and non susceptible to diseases that may be able to wipe out whole populations if we were all identical.

Animals possess these characteristics for a reason - for survival.

Answer 9

I totally agree that it is cruel! Maybe if it's done in the proper way ie. at a vet with pain relief! I feel sick to the stomach whenever I see or hear of any animal cruelty.It really affects me.I'd love to help at the RSPCA but I'd come home a nervous wreck with the stories I'd hear!Humans don't give credit to how smart and sensitive animals are. They're far wiser and smarter than man!

Answer 10

It is cruel, not two ways about it. No acceptable animal organization, breeder, or veterinarian would support the concept.

Animals are not supposed to be a status symbol for people. They are for companionship only! Companionship has nothing to do with docking tails, ears, or declawing!