Why did they ban tail docking?
Discussion
RockDoctor said:
Our Dobermann has his docked, got him just before this ban came about. It's quite weird seeing others with big long tails now.
Doesn't have his ears done though, I'm not sure when that was banned. See them everywhere in the US with the ears and tail combo.
Not allowed to crop ears in the UK (I'm glad to say) along with declawing cats and debarking dogs America has some strange ways of showing they 'love' their pets!!Doesn't have his ears done though, I'm not sure when that was banned. See them everywhere in the US with the ears and tail combo.
The vast majority of dogs that used to be docked would never work at all, let alone in thick cover which is where most of the very rare cases of damage occur. I know that damage does occur but it is not common. So, the main reason for docking was purely aesthetic, to satisfy our idea of what a terrier or doberman should look like. Therefore, it should not be done as a matter of course, unless it is known that a litter will be worked, which is very hard to be sure of. Docking or removing dew claws at birth is a very minor procedure, involving some pain of relatively short duration, but I will not dock dogs routinely, as it is not necessary in most cases, I will however, happily remove hind dew claws as they often cause more problems later. There are sadly, far worse things that should have been given the legal focus before docking IMHO, but I am glad it is banned as it is 99% cosmetic in its requirement.
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