Docking and Cropping.....Abuse or not?

Docking and cropping Why?

There is nothing better than watching a dog happily running with its ears flopping up and down and its tail going in every possible direction.   A person gets satisfaction in knowing their dog is happy.

This is why I do not understand the necessity for docking and cropping.

To surgically alter a dog by cutting a portion of their ears off or chopping part or all of their tail off for aesthetic reasons is senseless.   For the simple fact you are altering two parts of the dog's body that are key to understanding their mood.

Growing up I always though a wag of the tail was a sure sign of a happy dog.  Once grown and a responsible dog owner I found out otherwise.   Stanley Coren Ph.D said, "While some wags are indeed associated with happiness, others can mean fear, insecurity, a social challenge or even a warning that if you approach, you are apt to be bitten."

With this I am perplexed as to why anyone would want to dock a dog's tail.   If the tail tells all, wouldn't it be beneficial for the dog to keep it attached to its body?   I think back to when I was a child, and my pediatrician told my mom when she asked him about my tonsils being taken out.  The doctor said, "If God did not want you to have your tonsils then he never would have put them there in the first place."   I believe this rings true in this case as well.

A dogs tail...what it says to you

The idea that a certain breed of dog must have their tail docked in order to be a "true ambassador" for the breed is quite simply "hogwash".   It is the demeanor of the dog, the health of the dog and the training the dog receives is what constitutes a "breed ambassador", not the cutting of their ears and their tails.

As for the ears...this is where I have a big issue.   I just do not see AT ALL the necessity to crop a dogs ears.  The idea of cutting a dogs ears off makes no sense.  For dogs such as pit bulls who's public perception is not favorable in the best of circumstances, cropping their ears just adds to the stigma that the public has already put on them.

Like the tail, the ears are instrumental in reading a dog's body language.   I for one would not want to be walking my dogs and come across a dog with cropped ears and tail.   With the experience I do have with dogs I could most likely understand the demeanor of the dog, but I could not be 100% certain.

Ears speak volumes

Put simply, taking a dogs means of communicating away for personal satisfaction is not fair to the dog nor to the people who encounter that dog.

http://www.pitbull-chat.com/showthread.php?37970-Coco-Ear-Crop-pics-Before-amp-After

http://www.pitbull-chat.com/showthread.php?37970-Coco-Ear-Crop-pics-Before-amp-After

Here is an example of a before and after photo of a puppy with ears and a puppy post ear cropping.   I do not know the owner of this dog and he/she may be an exemplary dog owner.  My point in posting these is to show the look of a dog before and after their ears being cropped.

One will formulate their own opinion on this issue.  It is not illegal and many veterinarians do this procedure, yet many are opting not to as they see it is simply for the desire of the human and not the benefit of the dog.  As for me I am not sure as if I would call it abuse, but it would be safe to say I do not agree with it and see no merit or benefit to the dog's well being.

I believe it is safe to say in many circumstances for the most part, the owners are responsible in the fact that they do train and care for their dog's and their dog's are not an issue, yet at the same time many people who opt to crop and dock do so for appearance reasons only and are clueless as to what they are taking from the dog.

Do not get me wrong at times there are medical reasons a dog must have their tail docked or ears cropped.   Like in the case of birth defect or dog fighting and the ears are torn or deformed.  With tail docking anyone familiar with "happy tail" knows that their dog can repeatedly break their tail or open wounds reoccur.  These are cases of medical necessity.   Not a case of making a dog look more aggressive, or to "show standard".

A dog communicates with both its tail and its ears.  By being able to see the position of the ears or the wag of the tail an owner, aware of his/her dog,  knows how their dog is feeling at any particular moment. When a dog does not have its ears or a tail, very often you can miss obvious cues from your dog.  I believe this is the issue with cropping and docking.  It is my belief that many owners who choose to crop or dock are unaware of how truly important the tail and the ears are.

I think of my dogs, Abbie and Fitch, who are looking out the window when I come home.  Their heads tilted ears up and their eyes fixated on the car as it pulls up.   Then when I open the door and their ears flopping as they run towards me and their tails moving in every direction as fast as they can.   That is a greeting I would not cheat myself out of.   That is the greeting many owners never get to experience because for whatever reason of their choosing they took that luxury away from themselves for docking and cropping.