dogs

[amanda clark]

is it illegal to chop a rotweillers tail of

[roverkim]

its bloody crule 2

[lankeela]

Not if done by a vet at a few days old.

[gelda]

It's not only illegal, it's CRUEL, why would you want to do that???

[lankeela]

It is not illegal, as I said before, provided it is done by a vet and before the pup is about a week old.

The Animal Welfare Bill is going before the House of Commons on 6th November for further consideration and if passed with the amendments proposed by the House of Lords, docking will be made illegal other than for working breeds.

How many docked breeds do you see around that are in any way suffering? Rotts, Dobes, Boxers, Springers, Yorkies, etc. etc. - how many of these do you see in good health and living a normal happy life? If docking was so bad, surely they would all be miserable and in constant pain?

[B00]

Unless the dog itself is a working dog- is their any reason why their tails are removed? Other than to gratify their owners vanity?

Unless there is a specific reason why their tails are docked I find the practice revolting.

[Andyvon]

I agree. There's no reason to dock a dog's tail unless it is for safety if it is working. If the docking is simply for aesthetic reasons (from some peoples' point of view) then it is completely unnecessary and cruel.

[amanda clark]

i didn't say i wanted to dock a dogs tail i ws just asking if it was allowed!

[lankeela]

If you do not consider it cruel to dock a working dog's tail, then why should you consider it cruel to dock a non working dog's tail? The operation is exactly the same!

[CrazyWolfman]

I think the distinction between cropping the tail of a working dog and any other type is about how useful the sacrifice is. Comitting suicide and achieving nothing is often frowned upon, however dying in place of a thousand others is considered to be a very noble act, however the process of dying may well be exactly the same. Either way though I don't like the idea of cutting dog's tails off for any reason. I don't see how it's advantageous in any way and, according to the aesthetic argument it seems about as sensible as claiming that humans should all have both ears and their nose chopped off at birth because it makes them look better.

[Andyvon]

People who work dogs such as Jack Russells that might go down holes, dock tails so that it is easier for the dog to come out backwards - otherwide they can sometimes get stuck. They apparently leave just enough for the dog to be pulled out by the stump. They balance that benefit against the loss of the tail. I personally find it distasteful and I don't think there is ever any real reason to remove the tail.