‘Cropping’ ...Cutting Dogs Ears Off...

I have just seen a news item on Sky News where people have found a loophole in the law for the practice of cutting dog’s ears off.

I had never heard of this vanity practice before and l am honesty, quite shocked and l feel sick.

How can people be so cruel or, maybe some think it’s quite acceptable?

Re: ‘Cropping’ ...Cutting Dogs Ears Off...

Cropping of the ears is done before any cartilage begins to hardens

Same as tail docking

Ive had two cocker spaniels , a breed where docking wasthe norm

My first wasn't docked, everyone used to ask me what breed he was because back then docking was the norm and seeing a tail on a cocker was rare

My second, I hunted high and low for a breeder who didn't dock, and failed, so ended up with a docked dog, just before the law changed. Now its rare, outside of working circles to see docked cockers

Docking/cropping is now only done to help the breed in its work

The only breed that I personally know of that had cropped ears was the doberman, and the only dobermans I ever knew of were security dogs where cropping and docking were done to help protect the dog. Nothing for the trespasser to grab hold of to injure

Its not just domestic animals who are docked or cropped, farm animals are
Sheep have their tails docked, hens get their beaks cut, pigs have their teeth nipped and tails docked - the list goes on

Re: ‘Cropping’ ...Cutting Dogs Ears Off...

Cropping of ears in this country has been illegal for some while. It is not illegal in America and other countries. It is a barbaric practice - totally unacceptable - and there is absolutely no reason why it should be inflicted on any dog. Can you provide a link to the article you have seen on Sky News as I think it will probably apply to America rather than UK.
Similarly, tail docking is now illegal in this country - except for "genuinely" working dogs. My argument with this is that how does a breeder who works their dogs know which puppies in a litter will actually end up as working dogs? They don't keep them all and work them all - the vast majority end up as companion dog.

Re: ‘Cropping’ ...Cutting Dogs Ears Off...

Aerolor, Although, the practise is illegal in this country, it is not illegal to import dogs whose ears have been cropped.
The news item stated that some UK dog owners were cropping their dog’s ears, themselves.

Here is the link...

https://news.sky.com/story/dog-lover...pping-11339897

Re: ‘Cropping’ ...Cutting Dogs Ears Off...

There really is no limit to man's inhumanity to animals, it sickens me to my stomach and I would happily shoot anyone who could be cruel and stupid enough to carry out this practice, but not of course until I had shot their ears off first....

Re: ‘Cropping’ ...Cutting Dogs Ears Off...

It makes me so angry that people choose to dock tails and crop ears!
Animals evolved to have things like ears and tails because it made life easier and healthier for them. Surely it is time to make sure that all animals, in any country, remain as they were born.

I wonder how many of the people, who allow this, would be happy if we shaved their children's heads, to prevent them getting nits!

There can be no justification for this

Re: ‘Cropping’ ...Cutting Dogs Ears Off...

Thanks for the link Artangel. Like you I believe ear cropping is barbaric on any dog. If people in the UK are cropping pups themselves, then I hope they are prosecuted to the limit of what the law will allow. Leedor Borland is running a business and has a financial interest in cropping dogs, as it does make them look more alert and passively aggressive than an uncropped dog. I think he is being dishonest when he says it is vital the dogs he supplies are cropped, as IMO it is for aesthetics and not simply for the health of the dog as he says. There is no need for it. Tail docking is a more complicated issue, but I do not think it is necessary, particularly for a Doberman - guard dog or not. I am 100% against both ear cropping and docking - the reasoning behind it does not hold water with me.

Edited to add
It is forbidden to show a cropped dog at Crufts and other dog shows.

Re: ‘Cropping’ ...Cutting Dogs Ears Off...

Couldn't agree more Aerolor.
The ear cropping has been banned in this country for years, thank goodness, and I believe the tails were saved around 2007?

An old friend of mine is a gamekeeper and has only bred working cockers and springers for most of her life. She will only sell to 'working homes', she wouldn't even let me have one once, because I only wanted a companion dog.
I can see her point in a way, dogs that are working dogs and have come from many generations of workers, are often too active purely for pets.
It like people who buy a Border Collie from farm stock, and then leave it sitting looking at the wall all day while they are at work - then wonder why the dog goes stir-crazy.

Anyhow the point I was making is because she knows all her dogs will work for a living, all her litters are docked. It is illegal to do it yourself now (thank goodness), it has to be done by a veterinary surgeon.
Her vet knows her well and knows hers are all workers, so he does it. I think you have to produce a licence of some sort to vets as proof to get pups docked otherwise, and there is also a time frame to do it in - think it is within the first 5 days of life.

When this became law, I heard a lot of unscrupulous breeders were either taking their new born litters to Ireland for docking, or sending the poor pregnant bitch over to Ireland to whelp over there, as at the time it was still legal to dock there.
After the pups were all 'seen to', the poor mother and her babes were dragged back here again.

I agree with you, and also believe ear cropping of Dobies and the like, is nothing whatsoever to do with losing something to 'grab hold of', it is purely to make the animals appearance look more altert and aggressive.

As an aside, many ex-racing greyhounds that are either retired, injured, or not winning sufficiently, are got rid of in many gruesome ways, but the people who do the evil deed hack their ears off first to get rid of the ID tattoo number on their ear flap, to avoid being traced.

Re: ‘Cropping’ ...Cutting Dogs Ears Off...

Mans inhumanity to other living creatures knows no bounds .
Cropping of tails and ears is completely unnecessary .
Greyhounds those gentle amiable dogs have horrible fates in many cases.
Those that are not killed barbarically may end up exported to China to race until they are no use then they will be inhumanly killed .
Both Ireland and Australia export greyhounds to China .
How can anyone do this ?

Re: ‘Cropping’ ...Cutting Dogs Ears Off...

My Beautiful, beautiful boy was brought over from Ireland by Dogs Trust. He was very thin.had many scars and sores on his body,including a chunk out of his ear,he was very traumatised,nervous of everyone/ thing. We thinkhe was usedfor Hare coursing, a big sport in Ireland,then probably dumped when he got older,D.G didnt know his age or much about him.Afte 2 years with us he has put on weight [ a tad too much ] and much more confident, a different dog