dogs

[andrea23]

what year did they make it elegal to cut jack russel tales off

[Buenchico]

The Animal Welfare Act 2006 came into effect in England on 6 April2007. (In Wales the ban on docking dogs tails came into effect on 28 March 2007. In Scotland the ban applied from 30 April 2007).

Chris

[sara3]

it's probably here!

http://www.cdb.org/awa/index.htm

[lankeela]

It is not illegal to dock a jack russell's tail if it is to be used for working. Certain terriers and gundogs and crosses of those can still be docked, but no other breeds can. How can it be cruel to dock some breeds but not others?

The law is unenforceable. I have seen several Rotties and Boxers with docked tails which were born after May 2007, with their owners claiming they are 'working' dogs, or that they did not know about the ban.

I have been watching the series Send in the Dogs and noticed how happy and lively the working springers and cockers are that have their tails docked. If docking had any effect on them they would not be the way they are.

[woofgang]

you can cut off babies' little fingers at birth and they would still grow up into happy and lively adults, it doesn't mean that its a good or humane idea though.

[fredpuli47]

What exactly was the reason for cutting the tails off poodle puppies? Presumably it wasn't to improve their chances of happiness in later life.The ones showed now, with complete tails, seem happy.The gamekeepers' argument for docking the tails of their future working dogs was that that would stop the adult dog suffering injury and pain if it got its tail caught in brambles or a thicket.How this was relevant to a police and other working dogs was not apparent. What was the argument for docking their tails?

As it was, the argument sounded like arguing I should have had a hand taken off, as a baby, lest I suffered elbow injuries in later life, but I bow to the wisdom of gamekeepers.

[fredpuli47]

'Hand taken off ' should read 'arm...' !!

[madmaggot]

I do not agree with docking although I can see that for some 'jobs' that dogs carry out for us it may be better for us that they do not have a long tail. This does not mean that it is better for the dog. A dog uses it's tail in many different ways, for balance, language and excreting for instance.
An animal can live a 'happy' life without a tail or for that matter without a leg! This should not give us the right to amputate it just because we think it looks better.

[woofgang]

Over the past 20 plus years all our dogs until now have been undocked or dewclawed weimaraners. Our current two are weimaraner GSP cross again undocked or dewclawed. We live near the New Forest and although we do not shoot, we walk them as though we did. The dogs will go through and over anything, miles every day over and through rough ground through gorse bushes and brambles. Touching wood, none of our dogs have suffered tail or dew claw injuries, although they have had cuts, grazes, slpinters and thorns, muscle injuries and so on. The lady who bred our dogs all except the last two did used to rough shoot, again with dogs with full tails and dewclaws and none of hers ever suffered tail or dewclaw injuries either.
i realise that this is only a limited study but it does make me wonder if docking is as necessary as it is made out to be.