Ear Cropping

[*Pauline*]

I met a Boston Terrier today and just googled the breed only to find that they trim their ears. I mean they cut the flesh so the ears are small and pointed. I'm so upset.

[arasara]

that's not the only breed hun.

A lot of breeders also dock dew claws of puppies.

Dobermans I know for sure are ear cropped ~ apparently they are done between 7-8 wks (OUCH!)

schnauzers are also done.

Furthermore they also chop off or "dock" some breeds tails. sad huh?

I don't mean to ruin your day!

[Jen]

and they all look much cuter with natural ears and tails. Gus has natural ears, but the breeder did his tail--he was a rescue, otherwise I would have insisted on leaving it natural as well.

[Remali]

It's awful what some people do to certain breeds, I think it is worse over here in the U.S. In fact, is anything like that even done at all in the U.K.? It seems that when I've watched dog shows on TV that they don't seem to dock the tails or crop the ears in Egnland. I wish people over here in the U.S. would wake up and stop doing that dreadful stuff.

[Yvonne117]

Sorry to say just as bad in England, lots of breeds here have their tails docked and dew claws removed.

[Karlin]

Most CKCS have their dewclaws removed as well (mine don't). More common I think in the US than in UK and Ireland. The UK just passed a law last year that dogs' tails cannot be cropped unless required for working or other specific purposes so expect to see a real change at Crufts in future for competitng dogs from the UK. It will be odd for judges I think judging undocked dogs as well as docked in the same group.

Animal Welfare Act 2006 (England and Wales) - Docking
As from April 2007 it will be illegal to dock puppies' tails (other than for therapeutic reasons or if a breeder can submit evidence to a Veterinary Surgeon that the dog is of a specified type to be used for work, rescue, armed forces, police, pest control).
Regulations pertaining to this law will be approved by April 2007 by England and Wales separately. It will not be permissible for docked dogs to be shown at fee paying shows.

Animal Welfare Act 2006 (Scotland) - Docking
As from 6 April 2007 it will be illegal to dock puppies' tails in Scotland (other than for therapeutic reasons) or to travel across borders to have them docked. Regulations pertaining to this law will be approved by April 2007.

On the rescue side people regularly see horrific injuries and problems caused by poor tail docking. Dogs have come in with rubber bands cutting off all circulation as way of docking the tail, and the whole area festering.

[Zippy]

When we got Charley, the breeder told us that they didn't dock tails but that it was "optional" for Cavaliers!!!

They proceeded to tell us which joint to "do", I think it's the second one.

Has anyone seen a docked Cavalier??

I think it's terribly cruel but if you're showing your Cavalier isn't the feathered tail part of the beauty??

I watch the Westminster Show every year and never thought Cavvies were docked til we met that breeder. Have never heard it since, either.

[WoodHaven]

When we got Charley, the breeder told us that they didn't dock tails but that it was "optional" for Cavaliers!!!

They proceeded to tell us which joint to "do", I think it's the second one.

Has anyone seen a docked Cavalier??

I think it's terribly cruel but if you're showing your Cavalier isn't the feathered tail part of the beauty??

I watch the Westminster Show every year and never thought Cavvies were docked til we met that breeder. Have never heard it since, either.

Cocker spaniel tails are docked-- With a cavalier you can take up to a third of the tail off. I don't know why you would. I also have mixed feelings about dewclaws.

[cavalicious]

In Australia ear cropping and tail docking is illegal

[Darby's Mom]

Has anyone seen a docked Cavalier??

Yes, I have seen several of them - even in the show ring! They are still beautiful dogs, but I must admit.... they just look "off!" To me, they scream "part of my tail is missing" and they look very weird to me! Such a large part of a Cavaliers' glory is that beautiful, wagging happy tail!

On a slightly different slant, what are everybody's views on dew claw removal (front) in Cavaliers? Darby had hers removed when she was 2 days old.