Re: Dog tail cutting

No comparison unless the person pictured had that done with no anaesthesia and it was imposed on him with no consent or wish to have it done.

Re: Dog tail cutting

Not in every case. We have a Leonberger (a breed with a lovely long plume of a tail) who has just had her tail docked because she was constantly injuring it banging it against door frames, fences, gates etc as she wagged it incessantly. Our vet told us she was obviously much too happy! As a result of this behaviour, her tail was constantly damaged and never got a chance to heal properly. Finally, when she developed nasty, infected abcesses on the constantly raw end of her tail, the vet recommended docking - so she now has a 6" dumpy tail which she can still wag, but without damaging herself. We tried every kind of dressing and treatment on her tail, but nothing lasted more than a few hours and on occasion the house looked like the scene of a mass murder with blood spattered up walls, floor and furniture. She wasn't in any pain at all, so (in her view) had no need to change her happy, tail-wagging behaviour. I imagine this is the kind of situation which led to certain working breeds having their tails docked as a matter of course.

Re: Dog tail cutting

In this case there is a perfectly valid medical reason for having your dogs tail docked. Your problem is one well known among dalmation owners as the tips of those long whippy tails smack into things and split.. Some working dogs ( who actually work) get much the same problem but these are the exception and were done under proper medical conditions with proper aftercare and pain relief.

Docking as a fashion option is mutilation..

Re: Dog tail cutting

I couldn't agree more. If the reason for docking is purely cosmetic, it should never be carried out.

Re: Dog tail cutting

Who knows?

Re: Dog tail cutting

Entirely agree with you Cass.

Anyway, Great Danes are another breed who's tails used to split too, yet that didn't become a docked breed, did it.
I feel the same as you, ass, and docking because of infection/injury etc is completely different to docking for fashion/cosmetic reasons.
And as for the ear cropping . . . well we won't go there at all!

P.S. I have a book at home, which believes routine castration and spaying are more forms of mutilation too. There are other ways to stop them breeding.
As for the vets saying it will prevent this, that and the other illnesses, well it would be interesting to know how many of the wild dogs are sterilized, and how many have testicular cancer or pyometra.
I wonder how many Vets would volunteer, if told they had to be castrated INCASE they got testicular cancer one day . . .
I imagine most would say "Thanks - but no thanks, I'll take my chances".

Re: Dog tail cutting

As someone who helps run a rescue which "routinely" neuters dogs before rehoming, I think that some perspective is needed here. In our breed, the rescue situation is at crisis point simply because thousands of irresponsible owners think that breeding their pets is a reasonable source of income and usually sell their pups to equally irresponsible (or at best ill-informed) new owners. In such a situation, i believe that "routine" neutering of rescued dogs is a very necessary "mutilation."

Re: Dog tail cutting

Its true there are groups who contest the idea of routine de-sexing of pets. However this is something done by a vet in a proper surgical setting and prevents much more heartbreak in the long run.

My dogs have always been rescues and yet no matter how many are adopted there are still more waiting for homes because people cant be bothered to de-sex or wont because they think their dog is a gold mine capable of churning out fluffy bundles of cash..

If an owner is able to impliment a regime to ensure no accidental mating fine but lets face it half the population cant control thier own breeding habits let alone those of their pets!

Re: Dog tail cutting

I blame those who `show` dogs for years of mutilation. As I remember a dog was not a dog unless it had both balls.

Re: Dog tail cutting

Ironically, 'show' dogs must be entire unless special permission is sought from the Kennel Club, so there is no way you can blame showing for neutering.
Docking and cropping were introduced by those who work dogs, not those who show them. Dogs were being docked and cropped for centuries prior to the introduction of dog shows.