Tail Docking

[mollymad]

I believe it does not hurt them as very young pups ,certainly not as much as putting an adult dog to sleep to amputate a tail later on in life when the dog will miss it and know what has happened . Any animal that is born undeveloped blind, deaf etc have undeveloped nevous systems too.

 

[grahamsokel]

The way i look at it is if a dog was supposed to have a short tail it would be born with one as some breeds are

 

[K.J.]

The way i look at it is if a dog was supposed to have a short tail it would be born with one as some breeds are

That's what I think...

 

[Bloo]

The way i look at it is if a dog was supposed to have a short tail it would be born with one as some breeds are

So if you were thinking along those specific lines - should we have been born with wings? We too harm the environment by flying in aeroplanes etc. Yet we do so. But clearly weren't meant to (grow wings ourselves to fly). Humans get cancers and die - are we therefore not meant to find cures? Should we as humans not interfere with nature in any way whatsover?
Where exactly do you draw the line? Who decides where the benefit lies? Who decides?

 

[raptorrex]

The way i look at it is if a dog was supposed to have a short tail it would be born with one as some breeds are

So if you were thinking along those specific lines - should we have been born with wings? We too harm the environment by flying in aeroplanes etc. Yet we do so. But clearly weren't meant to (grow wings ourselves to fly). Humans get cancers and die - are we therefore not meant to find cures? Should we as humans not interfere with nature in any way whatsover?
Where exactly do you draw the line? Who decides where the benefit lies? Who decides?

tails are not an optional extra, like wings. all mammals have tails, even us!! infact if you think about it, just about every creature has a tail. so in answer to the question "who decides" the answer would be nature, if a dog didnt need a tail, like us, it would have virtually vanished. we dont have wings true, but if the need for flight, in humans, ever happened, you can be sure we would develope them, over time. we too share bird dna, well dinasaur dna, so we have the genetics to do it.

 

[PlecMama]

Why does it look nice? Why does something completely unnatural look nice?

Because it's just what we're use to seeing. Dobies and rotts don't have tails usually.

I like the way the German dobies look with their ears and their tails done, but I'd never have one done like that, they weren't made to be cut up to look pretty and until a dog of mine asks to have cosmetic surgery, it won't be getting it.

Incidentally, if there was ever a dog that could be argued was a danger to it's self and others because of the way it's tail whips about, it's the labrador. I can't count the times I have had a smack in the face, crack on the knuckles or whip round the legs from a happy Sasha, but no one ever docks their tails - thankfully. How could you take the tail off something that wags so much it's whole body gets caught in the momentum and wiggles?

 

[Melly]

My friend has two labradors. A Black and a Yellow one. The yellow one just wants to be friends with anyone and everyone He ended up having to have his tail removed It was just constantly wagging and hitting on anything in the way. A sore developed and just never healed because of the constant wagging. The vet removed some of it but that was no good so more had to be taken off He now has a tail about 4 inches long. Looks different I must say

I don't believe in docking as it stands. I don't think dogs should be altered just for showing purposes etc. If it is a health issue, then fair enough but otherwise I don't like the idea

 

[seffieuk]

I can totally understand the argument that goes if nature had intended that these dogs have short tails then they would have been born like it - also the one that a dog shows emotion using his tail (obviously never seen a happy dobie, their whole body moves when they are happy). But, the fact remains, I just like the look of a docked dobie or rottie (not cropped ears) - many things are altered by humans - even ourselves, does that make it wrong? A docked dobie/rottie seems more balanced some how - an undocked one, well - I just can't appreciate the way they look with a tail. I know you are all going to shout at me, sorry! As long as the dog is not put through any pain (and they sure as hell go through pain when they split their tail and it never mends properly) and it doesn't change their ability to do anything, why not? A puppy of two days old does not even notice his tail being removed. Are we not changing the history of the breed - Dobies are a manufactured breed - first bred from a mixture of dogs for a tax collector, a guarding dog. Their tails were cropped so that nothing could grab them by it - we are changing the breed


Yes Bloo, we seem to have a lot in common

Please don't say i don't care about animal welfare - when dobies were at the height of fashion i worked tirelessly for Dobe rescue - rehoming over 250 dobies - thank goodness they are no-longer fashionable!

 

[Leopard-danio]

I personally disagree with tail docking... i think Dobermans etc look beautiful with a nice long tail.

If the procedure of docking goes wrong there can be fatal results... like bleeding to death as i have seen on the RSPCA website...

I only think that tail docking should be done for a medical reason or if the dog is a guard dog.

Anyway tis my opinion, and i know im gunna have a search on my hands to find an un-docked /cropped Doberman.

 

[geo7x]

i dont really understand the reason to dock tails because otherwise they might damage them in later life. I think it's a bit of a rubbish excuse for people who think they look nice, so they try to label it with some kind of medical purpose.

As grahamsokel and I have said, damaged tails arent that common at all, and cutting off a dog's tail as a precaution is a load of rubbish. should we have parts of our bodies cut off incase we damage them in later life? maybe newborn babies should have their real lungs cut out and have fake lungs put in because of the chances of the baby smoking in later life? its probably more likely to happen than a dog having its tail damaged.

And yes tails do have a big purpose as a dog's mean of communication, theyre not useless.

 

[l.michelle]

I will have to agree with geo7x, saying that the dog's tail can be damaged, split etc., isn't a very valid arguement, in my opinion, I have never seen a dog's tail that has been damaged.

You would think, as some people are saying, that if so many dogs' tails were being damaged that they wouldn't stop docking, right? If it was such a wide spread problem, as people are makign it out to be, then why would they stop it?

I have heard of dog's breakign their legs, so because that is more common to me than a dog splitting his tail, why aren't the legs amputated? lol, it's just not natural.

And who is to say the dog is not in pain when it is being done? No one truly know what they feel.

Right now I am searching in google to see if I can find anything on dogs who have split their tail, and so far nothing. I will keep looking.

 

[KathyM]

But, the fact remains, I just like the look of a docked dobie or rottie (not cropped ears) - many things are altered by humans - even ourselves, does that make it wrong?

Don't worry, not going to shout at you *lol* - but a one word answer for this question is "yes". Dogs *need* their tails to communicate. It is personal taste whether or not we like the look of docked dogs, but it can't be argued that it's not harmful, whether people like the look of docked dogs or not.

For me personally, looks don't come into the relationship I have with my dogs (if you look at them you'll see why *lmao*). I don't understand the looks argument personally because my children's looks don't affect how much I love them, and therefore it's the same with my dogs. I might think that a pink dog with blue spots and short legs might look good, but it doesn't mean I'm heading towards Dharma with an amputation set and the hairdye.

 

[venom2112]

well well, the old debate goes on , we have been in boxers for quite a while now, showing, had a couple of litters also, we did dock as thats the norm in docked breeds, if we went in to a show ring with a tailed boxer we wouldnd have got a second look!! personally i tthink once this all blows over & dobes,rotts,boxers etc.. are accepted with tails that will be that, it will only take a while for it all to settle down, i have met quite a few boxer owners whos dogs kept there tails (one in particular, who came to our training class with a pup of 6months with a tail, after i explained that they whip everywhere, i was told i was cruel for docking mine, seen her again 2months later with the same pup docked, tail got brokr in 3 places had to be amputated at a cost of £160!!, + the risk of anesthetic!) i have also seen boxers with dew claws ripped, im afraid this debate will go on untill its the norm to see a docked breed with a tail, thats my 2 penneth anyway!! from a experienced boxer owner

 

[raptorrex]

well well, the old debate goes on , we have been in boxers for quite a while now, showing, had a couple of litters also, we did dock as thats the norm in docked breeds, if we went in to a show ring with a tailed boxer we wouldnd have got a second look!! personally i tthink once this all blows over & dobes,rotts,boxers etc.. are accepted with tails that will be that, it will only take a while for it all to settle down, i have met quite a few boxer owners whos dogs kept there tails (one in particular, who came to our training class with a pup of 6months with a tail, after i explained that they whip everywhere, i was told i was cruel for docking mine, seen her again 2months later with the same pup docked, tail got brokr in 3 places had to be amputated at a cost of £160!!, + the risk of anesthetic!) i have also seen boxers with dew claws ripped, im afraid this debate will go on untill its the norm to see a docked breed with a tail, thats my 2 penneth anyway!! from a experienced boxer owner

why should, showing a dog the main reason for how it looks. what gives these tinpot hitlers the right to say this is right and this is wrong. the only reason this practice is not totaly illegal, is because the inbred hoypoloy, need geneticly faulty and degenerating pets so they dont fell like the only ones who are like that.

who does any unelected body, insist that anything be done. having see the judges at crufts, i can come up with some, really useful modifications, i think should be applyed to them, and to be honest most of the dog owners too. but the end product would be soap, so the may be useful in the end!

dog shows are for the personal gratification of the owner only, well they make money, so who gives a F%$k what happns to the dog. surly dog breeders should be looking to improve the breed, not continue, adding genetic mutations, just to win prizes!

oops sorry i forgot its big business, so that doesn't matter then, sorry

 

[OohFeeshy]

I do think the 'preventing tail injury' arguement is rather flawed- it seems not that many dogs get tail injuries, or certainly not enough to justisy it. Just think- how many people die or seriously injure themselves falling down stairs? Does that mean we should all live in bungalows to eliminate that risk?