Comments on: Why Do We Still Chop Off Puppies’ Tails?

By: just a guy

just a guy — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 01:09:06 +0000

you people that are arguing about this are dumb and to the person that said dogs are animals people are not,well yes we are we’re mammals just like dogs.but back to the topic if you people are arguing about this why arent you on a forum against circumsision. its pretty much the same idea and its no big deal!i have a pembroke welsh corgi and his tail is docked and he leads a perfectly normal life and shows no ill side effects.As for ear cropping and not a supporter but im not against it. if you have a problem with cropping and docking then buy every dog in the world so none will get cropped or docked. obviosly you cant do this so dogs will be getting cropped and docked until its illgeal to own a dog period. its the owners choice so suck it up and drop it! and to the poeple that think “you cant own another living thing” well its been going on since man could capture another living thing and not get ripped to shreds by it.people have been owning other living things for ever wether it be human or more preferabvly non-human.

By: Lori

Lori — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 21:54:38 +0000

My goodness. If you like your boxer or whatever with a long tail and floppy ears….more power to you.
A few seconds of pain for a puppy compared with a potentially broken tail later? Duh. My boxer never held his cropped ears against me….he was a dog…they are not “self aware”. This is the same nonsense as trying to ban circumcisions. Certain things just should be done…if you don’t understand….u never will.

By: megan

megan — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:13:27 +0000

i think getting dogs tails chopped off is very unreasonable i mean how can a dog show its happy i am a HUGE dog fan and i just think its unkind and unfair to all of those special dogs out there.

By: Lyzzy

Lyzzy — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 16:50:11 +0000

Okay, first of all, Lisa? Don’t you DARE start saying that it is all Americans that dock tails. There are PLENTY of other places that dock tails. I do not appreciate that you immediately stereotype Americans as the bad people.
Now, I personally don’t have a problem with docked tails. I wouldn’t go and get it done to a dog because i like long tails more, but docked tails do not bother me, as long as it is done professionally. Breeders who are not professionals at this should NOT do it themselves – THIS is inhumane. But when it is done in a professional office, with some sort of pain relieving, I have no problem with it. I have a beautiful fawn Boxer with a docked tail, and i wouldn’t have her any other way. But, as I said, if i had a dog with a normal tail, i wouldn’t go get it docked.
Ear cropping? Again – as long as its done professionally, I have no problem with it.

By: Tracie Hotchner

Tracie Hotchner — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 02:27:11 +0000

Good question – I wrote THE DOG BIBLE because no book existed that gave information and facts which people could consider and then use to make their own informed, responsible decisions about their dogs. (And if you DO get it for a friend, send me your mailing address so I can send you an autographed bookplate to put in it, inscribed to your friend’s dog). IN response to your rhetorical question, nobody is born knowing how to treat a dog or train one or feed one – we’re all the product of our own upbringing and experiences and some of these things serve us well and others were misguided all along or have become so with more information and education. For example, there are many people in many states in the U.S. who chain their dogs outside 365 days a year with minimal or no shelter from cold and heat. It is legal and the accepted way of treating them. I now live in such a state – Vermont. It’s deeply troubling. But it’s part of an ingrained culture and history that is changing only very little and very slowly. I hope that practices and attitudes like surgically altering dogs for cosmetic reasons (with excuses about how it’s always been done that way or theoretically protects a dog out in the field) will also change based on logic and humane practice. It’s safe to safe that CHANGE is threatening to people in any area of their lives – we are creatures of habit and will defend what we do just because it’s how things have been. It’s great to open a dialogue – change happens from an exchange of ideas and a raised consciousness resulting from that – but as our wonderful new President says, it’s fine to disagree as long as we aren’t disagreeable about it. I think a safe yardstick for determining if what we’re doing with our dogs is good for them is whether it enriches or enhances their lives – because having them share our lives does exactly that for us. The least we can do is extend the same Golden Rule to them. It wasn’t that long ago that Chinese women had their feet bound and were purposefully crippled for life. Those who ardently defend doing this to their dogs’ ears and tails, please stop for a minute and really give this some thought.

By: karizma

karizma — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:46:43 +0000

What made you want to write a dog bible? I feel that if people dont know how to raise their dogs then what’s the point of getting them?! Although it looks like a book that i would purchase for a friend who wants a dog

By: Tony Gelsthorpe

Tony Gelsthorpe — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 23:20:13 +0000

John 9/4/08 at 3:48 pm said,

While some may wait to get the tails done; we did ours with in a matter of days. I can tell you that it did not seem to phase the puppies much more than a slap on the wrist would. As far as the ear cropping goes, does anyone realize how hygenic it is to have this done? My dogs have all had theirs done and while I watch dogs with natural ears going crazy and making themselves bleed from itchy ears, mine have never had a problem. It isnt much different than circumcision. While it is more appealing, it is also hygenic. I am pro-cropping and docking. America may seem behind in times to the U.K. but we still practive our American tradition of making our own choices.

Tony replies,
I think if a dog has natural ears and they itch, then find out why and deal with that itching. if it is a result of a weakness of the breed then I question the ethics of producing a breed with defects. Maybe that breed should no longer be continued.

If the puppy or the adult dog was in the position of knowing of the pain and the results of the tail or ear cutting and then were allowed to decide for themselves about having it done I would say that would be a good “American tradition”.

However the fact is that we the humans are the ones doing the deciding – not the dog or puppy.
Also, I assume the decision to make it illegal in some European countries was done in a democratic way and as well as for humane reasons.
How can a human know how much an animal is suffering – just by observing it? I think pain and suffering can induce sleep – so how can that be an indication of comfort and peacefulness?

Thank you for exploring this topic – How can I help change these practices?

By: Tiffany

Tiffany — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:57:27 +0000

i see a point in both groups of people, those against, and those for, tail docking and ear cropping. I own two dobermans of my own, and my bitch just had a litter, which are due to the vets today for their tails and dewclaws. I choose to have the tails done, because i have seen broken tails on dobermans, it is extremely painful for the dog to hit even the slightest surface, because their tails are so much more fragile than other dogs. My bitch had her ear pierced through by another dog with the slightest bite, and it bled horribly. I chose not to get hers, or my males ears done, because i like the natural look on the ears. I just know that i couldn’t live with myself if i had to deal with a broken puppy tail at a later date. So, as i said, i am not against tails and ears being done, but, i think to an extent, the ears are just for show, but, at the same time, can also be good for the dog to have done, so things don’t happen like it did with mine.

By: Brando

Brando — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:17:25 +0000

sexybutpsycho: You’re the most uneducated of all the protesters. It doesn’t take a Harvard education to use logic, which we are all equipped with, even though you choose not to use it. Who are you to decide to cut off body parts? First of all, it is not true that Dobermann’s tails are weaker and more fragile. They are simply thinner and sleeker. And just because you feel that they were breed to work doesn’t change the fact that they are owned successfully as family pets all over the world. I’ve had Dobermans since I was a child and can tell you from experience that it does not harm the dog to keep its natural ears and tail. It is however, studied and has been proven that Dobermans and other breeds, often try to compensate for the lack of tail movement by swaying their hips intensely for their entire lives, which adds severe trauma to their hips elbows. If you know anything about Dobermans, then you’ll know that they’re already prone to diseases in these areas. The truth that you proponents of this mutilating practice don’t wish to face is that: THE DOGS WERE MEANT TO HAVE TAILS!
Also, every single dog breed on the planet with a tail and ears, is known to communicate through their tail and almost all through their ears. Reading and showing body language is an essential part of all breeds, but is paramount in the intelligent ones. I’ve owned ex-military Dobes, and even just locally breed Dobermans and I can tell you, the ones with their tails in tact, were beautiful specimens and arguably more agile. Lastly, if natural selection wishes to remove these so called imperfections, you have to leave them alone so that nature can take its course. Meantime go read about evolution and maybe you’ll learn something. Oh, and if anyone researches this subject, they’ll see that the ones who defend this practice are the breeders and others who make money off of these animals, and the ones who fight this cruelty are usually owners and responsible vets.
I commend the author of this article for being one of the few with a voice, willing to take an unpopular stance on this issue, and approach the subject objectively. She pointed out the hypocrisy in these practices and was very fair in her assessment. I’m going to buy her book now, because at least you can see that she has the dog’s well being in mind.
Thanks Tracie Hotchner.

By: tedr

tedr — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:02:30 +0000

great discussion