Ear Cropping and Tail Docking

lisarx8, most of the Boxers here have their tails intact for years and I haven't noticed more injuries than with any other breed. My Bulldog wiggles just as much as any Boxer because of her naturally stumpy tail but Bulldogs with long tails don't. It's the same way with Boxers, Dobermanns...

There is no NEED to do this in most cases so people should accept a dog like it is or choose a different breed that suits them better. The tail is part of the spine - why should we mess with it.
 
There is also increasing tail related injuries in countries where tail docking is banned.

Do you have a cite for that?

For instance, working gundog breeds have to hunt game through heavy vegetation and thick brambles, where 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.

I understand what you're saying. Traditionally, hunting dogs had their tails removed to stop them getting caught in undergrowth etc. Tradition isn't always the right thing to do something. A dog may very well break some other part of their body, a leg, while on the hunt. Should legs be removed too, just in case? Doberman pinschers aren't hunting dogs, but their tails are docked and ears are cropped anyway. Their ears were cropped and their tails docked because some human thought it made them look intimidating. Personally, I think it's totally unnecessary, particularly if it's done because some human thinks a dog breed looks more aesthetically pleasing to their eye. 12,000+ years with human civilisation suggests doing it for those reasons is ridiculous, and dogs have gotten on just fine without getting their tail docked or ears cropped. Tail docking has become standard procedure for tens of thousands of dogs that will never be in any danger of injuring their tail because they are no longer working or hunting dogs. For those tens of thousands of dogs living in backyards and houses, there is no medical need to dock their tail. It is unnecessary.
 
my SO and i have considered a couple of breeds that do get their ears cropped and tails docked, but these breeds were bred as hunting dogs so these procedures aren't to make them better looking. i asked my SO last night if cropped ears and docked tails upset him, and he said yes but he's used to it and that a doberman (in particular) would look goofy otherwise. i'm sure there are humane ways to perform these procedures, and getting a dog who has already had its ears cropped and tail docked wouldn't necessarily bother me, although if a breeder gave me the choice, i'd tell them to leave everything the way it is.
 
i asked my SO last night if cropped ears and docked tails upset him, and he said yes but he's used to it and that a doberman (in particular) would look goofy otherwise.

Awww, I think they're gorgeous dogs with their tails and natural ear shape.

dobie.jpg

dobie2.jpg
 
^^ Yes, they look great the way they are supposed to look. A Dobermann is not a hunting dog so it was only done to make them look intimidating.

I think Boxers look great with their tails intact, too.
 

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Dobies are gorgeous natural.

But intimidation was NOT why they were cropped and docked. The ears are sensitive. And broken tails are hard to heal. The Dobermann was a protection and guard dog. Many people will instinctively grab at a dogs ears. Cropped ears are harder to tear. Stub tails are harder to break.

Its the same for hunting dogs. It wasn't so much to protect against undergrowth as it was to reduce risk of injury from prey.

Its not something I like for purely cosmetic purposes. But if I had a breed bred for a certain purpose and cropping or docking reduced risks of healing more painful, long lasting injuries later... Such as a broken tail, I'd go for the easily healed, one-time alteration.

Docking is still done to police and military K9s too. So far, every single SF K9 I've seen (this includes the GSDs) had docked tails. As a safety precaution.

I don't really see the need in cropping/docking non-working dogs though.

But, I also think cropping/docking is one of the LEAST important issues regarding animal welfare to fret over.
 
I think the critters would think differently ;)

I don't. Its no more traumatic, painful or life-altering than getting spayed, neutered or getting their dew claws removed.

I'm more concerned with literal abuse and neglect, BSL, over-population, ect.

I could really care less if a young pup under anesthesia had its ears cropped by a vet or a 2 day old pup had its tail docked (properly) than I do when a dog goes in for a spay or neuter or gets its dew claws removed.

Now if its a home crop, sure. That I find incredibly cruel. But under anesthesia by an experienced vet? Hardly.

Its a waste of time, funds and energy to try and outlaw a practice that is done humanely. When there are piss-poor laws and penalties for actual abuse, neglect and cruelty like dog fighting or dragging a living animal behind a truck. Or laws like BSL being passed that support the banning or mass slaughter of dogs based on breed alone. And shelters being so over-populated they're more like live animal disposal facilities than adoption locations.

Sorry, crop/dock is low, low, LOW on my list of concerns. Frankly, so long as its done properly... Its not on the list at all.

ex of docked GSD Security Forces K9 at Beale AFB:
http://www.beale.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/web/091209-F-2405O-023.jpg

As it turns out, not all of them are docked, but a good many here at Beale are. Whether as a safety measure (as a pup to prevent injury. harmless) or due to tail injury (as an adult, noticeable to the animal).
 
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I could really care less if a young pup under anesthesia had its ears cropped by a vet or a 2 day old pup had its tail docked (properly) than I do when a dog goes in for a spay or neuter or gets its dew claws removed.
I would care a great deal about cropping and docking. "Not caring less" seems rather harsh to me. I care a great deal when my pup gets a simple blood draw, but that's me. Anesthesia itself is also nothing to sneeze at.

Maybe you don't care, or see it as a big deal, but some of us do. It doesn't seem like the "right" thing to do, regardless of whether or not they feel pain. How do we really know what they feel? We don't. I find it unnecessary.

I, too, am concerned with all aspects of animal welfare. This happens to be one of them, and I don't want to give it a rating of low importance, why should it matter how it ranks anyways?
 
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