Reading the comments above its pretty clear breeders will come up with any excuse in the book to continue mutilating their dogs for "show". Do they know better than the veterinary field? No, of course not. Crop their ears to prevent injury from fighting? Could happen to ANY breed of dog. How about working with your dogs so they don't fight instead? Every person who supports cropping and docking are doing so for purely selfish reasons, mainly showing, and are not concerned about with doing whats best for their dog.
Telie - 12 years ago
Ear cropping I have read is done for many different reasons. One being to prevent infection, and another to prevent nerve damage to the tips of a dogs ears dew to them shaking there head. Both of which would be painful but preventable by a simple surgery. Yes it looks good on some breeds, but it helps some dogs from future hurt. I don't think just any vet should do it, only someone who knows what they are doing to prevent errors. Breeders and owners should have the choice. Just like circumcision on human boys.
Courtney H. - 12 years ago
If they're going to ban cropping then they had better ban dew claw removal, neutering/spaying, the right to own a dog (unless you have a government certificate qualifying you as a good owner), bark-surgery, nasal surgery for pug-like dogs or any other medical practice on a dog. Dogs do not ask for us to save them after they've gotten hit by a car, or developed cancer. So technically speaking there's a hell of a lot of non-consensual actions going on.
The ONLY thing that should matter is that the owner properly cares for his animal, cleans his wounds and gives the dog unconditional love and understanding. It's not hard to ask for - but how many people can actually say that they've never struck their dog, never ignored him, never yelled at him, never gave a pet up for adoption... But gave him as much attention as the dog wanted?
Very few people can actually say that they've never abused their dog: one person's way of raising a dog is another person's term for abuse.
We focus on something as insignificantly minor as shaping a dog's ears meanwhile there are animal hoarders, underground animal fighting, animals being backyard bred for money, animals literally being abused so badly that they turn "bad"... But hey, their ears, which get properly cared for and cleaned by loving families, are a big deal.
My doberman had his ears cropped, and he was the happiest puppy I have ever owned. They didn't bother him, and I made sure to check many times a day that they remained clean and disinfected. NOT all owners are jerks to their dogs just because they get the ears and/or tail altered. To infringe on my freedom to own an animal is pretty pathetic. I bring mine wherever I go, he sleeps beside me, and he even comes to work with me.
He was rough housing with a friend's dogs the one day and hurt his elbow - it was sore for a couple days and I took him to get X-rayed because I thought maybe he had actually injured it. $450 later, it was nothing. I have no issue with caring for my animal and making sure he has the best food, toys, health, etc... Yet people feel the need to bother me about his ears?
Get off your pedistal and start going after the people who *actually* abuse their dogs.
This is a very important link that should be shared with all who question docking and cropping!
It is from various breed clubs explaining why they dock and crop.
There are so many social and political problems in the world, yet stupid people choose to waste time dictating what we should do with our dogs. Keep your politics away from my dog and my choices. What I discuss with my vet is my business and hers alone. Try solving hunger and aiming world peace instead.
M Dependahl - 12 years ago
Animals can be put to sleep, they can be neutered without getting their 'permission'! In this age of cosmetic surgery it is even more ridiculous to be arguing about this.
Danielle - 12 years ago
Cropping and docking are done for a reason, particularly in working or sporting breeds, because it is more humane to do so responsibly and professionally when a dog is young and bone and tissue are maleable and receptive to the procedure, than to perform a painful and invasive amputation later in life, due to traumatic injury sustained doing what the breed(s) in question are known or trained to do. To ban such practices would demonstrate the same uneducated knee-jerk lawmaking to which we can credit intrusive government regulations such as breed-bans. If one would like to live in a dictatorship, I suggest moving to one. I, for one, would prefer to maintain a living standard that excludes the government from taking control of finite decisions in my life, and in things it knows nothing about.
Deborah S - 12 years ago
this really is not about banning vets from doing the procedures, it is about the taking away our Choice to have the procedure done.
if a Vet does not want to do the procedure, so be it, but do not take away our choice to crop or dock.
it is not harmful to the puppies, they are asleep, and are given pain meds, no different than if a vet spay's or neuters a young pup.
this is about taking away Choice, whether you agree or not with the procedure, do not take away our freedom to have a choice!
Why can't CKC, Breeders, Veterinarians and pet owners work together?
Results would only benefit everyone concerned.
It is the puppies bought outside of registered breeders that end up with in the OHS or at the vets office because someone thought they could dock on their own.
Docking, Cropping and Dew Claw removal have been around a lot longer than any Veterinarian Organization, and are quite simply good Animal Husbandry.
In order to truly understand the benefits one would have to live and breathe a breeder's life. It is not the ear or tail altering that's wrong. What is wrong is that something that is so beneficial is treated like it is not.
Instead of learning and evolving these procedures, we choose ban and omitted those already skilled Surgeons from improving or performing, these much needed services.
I do not see a bright future for some of our registered breeds; I feel they will be only seen in History books.
if you want laws like in the UK, I would say move to the UK!
I for one live in Canada, and I do not want the same laws as the UK.
I just want to live in Canada,
democratic system instead of dictatorship.
It's a barbaric practise and is done, as far as I am aware, purely for "the look", and not done for any medical reasons. It was banned here in the UK years ago and I suggest that no dogs should be allowed to be shown with docked ears.
Nick - 12 years ago
Well, in the name of animal cruelty, why don't we outlaw the practice of neutering and sprayed? It's not natural to rob them the reproductive rights. Until then, leave the docking and cropping rights to the owners please. Leave my fucking dog alone for heaven sake.
C Dube - 12 years ago
Most veterarians and support staff don't even understand or know the procedure for cropping. I recently visited a large specialty and referral hospital with my two 7 month old, cropped puppies. The veterinarians and technicians thought the ears had just been done because there was tape on the ears. They had no idea of the procedure and how the surgery is done when the puppies are under a certain age, and then the ears need to be taped for a number of months for the ears to learn to stand. People should educate themselves about the procedure, and maybe see it first hand to fully understand it. As a vet tech myself, I have seen far worse and presumably painful procedures performed by veterinarians. I believe it should be a choice, and not banned.
C. Smith - 12 years ago
It is better that the option to do these surgeries properly at a vets under anesthesia with pain meds be available. It would be far worse to ban and have these things being done in chop shops so to speak. Many people supporting bans have not thoroughly thought things through. What about far worse / riskier and more painful things like declawing or debarking. Banning is NOT the answer.
Reading the comments above its pretty clear breeders will come up with any excuse in the book to continue mutilating their dogs for "show". Do they know better than the veterinary field? No, of course not. Crop their ears to prevent injury from fighting? Could happen to ANY breed of dog. How about working with your dogs so they don't fight instead? Every person who supports cropping and docking are doing so for purely selfish reasons, mainly showing, and are not concerned about with doing whats best for their dog.
Ear cropping I have read is done for many different reasons. One being to prevent infection, and another to prevent nerve damage to the tips of a dogs ears dew to them shaking there head. Both of which would be painful but preventable by a simple surgery. Yes it looks good on some breeds, but it helps some dogs from future hurt. I don't think just any vet should do it, only someone who knows what they are doing to prevent errors. Breeders and owners should have the choice. Just like circumcision on human boys.
If they're going to ban cropping then they had better ban dew claw removal, neutering/spaying, the right to own a dog (unless you have a government certificate qualifying you as a good owner), bark-surgery, nasal surgery for pug-like dogs or any other medical practice on a dog. Dogs do not ask for us to save them after they've gotten hit by a car, or developed cancer. So technically speaking there's a hell of a lot of non-consensual actions going on.
The ONLY thing that should matter is that the owner properly cares for his animal, cleans his wounds and gives the dog unconditional love and understanding. It's not hard to ask for - but how many people can actually say that they've never struck their dog, never ignored him, never yelled at him, never gave a pet up for adoption... But gave him as much attention as the dog wanted?
Very few people can actually say that they've never abused their dog: one person's way of raising a dog is another person's term for abuse.
We focus on something as insignificantly minor as shaping a dog's ears meanwhile there are animal hoarders, underground animal fighting, animals being backyard bred for money, animals literally being abused so badly that they turn "bad"... But hey, their ears, which get properly cared for and cleaned by loving families, are a big deal.
My doberman had his ears cropped, and he was the happiest puppy I have ever owned. They didn't bother him, and I made sure to check many times a day that they remained clean and disinfected. NOT all owners are jerks to their dogs just because they get the ears and/or tail altered. To infringe on my freedom to own an animal is pretty pathetic. I bring mine wherever I go, he sleeps beside me, and he even comes to work with me.
He was rough housing with a friend's dogs the one day and hurt his elbow - it was sore for a couple days and I took him to get X-rayed because I thought maybe he had actually injured it. $450 later, it was nothing. I have no issue with caring for my animal and making sure he has the best food, toys, health, etc... Yet people feel the need to bother me about his ears?
Get off your pedistal and start going after the people who *actually* abuse their dogs.
This is a very important link that should be shared with all who question docking and cropping!
It is from various breed clubs explaining why they dock and crop.
http://www.yasni.de/ext.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.massfeddogs.org%2FDownloads%2FTailDockStatements.pdf&name=Dr.+R.+Fritsch&cat=filter&showads=1
There are so many social and political problems in the world, yet stupid people choose to waste time dictating what we should do with our dogs. Keep your politics away from my dog and my choices. What I discuss with my vet is my business and hers alone. Try solving hunger and aiming world peace instead.
Animals can be put to sleep, they can be neutered without getting their 'permission'! In this age of cosmetic surgery it is even more ridiculous to be arguing about this.
Cropping and docking are done for a reason, particularly in working or sporting breeds, because it is more humane to do so responsibly and professionally when a dog is young and bone and tissue are maleable and receptive to the procedure, than to perform a painful and invasive amputation later in life, due to traumatic injury sustained doing what the breed(s) in question are known or trained to do. To ban such practices would demonstrate the same uneducated knee-jerk lawmaking to which we can credit intrusive government regulations such as breed-bans. If one would like to live in a dictatorship, I suggest moving to one. I, for one, would prefer to maintain a living standard that excludes the government from taking control of finite decisions in my life, and in things it knows nothing about.
this really is not about banning vets from doing the procedures, it is about the taking away our Choice to have the procedure done.
if a Vet does not want to do the procedure, so be it, but do not take away our choice to crop or dock.
it is not harmful to the puppies, they are asleep, and are given pain meds, no different than if a vet spay's or neuters a young pup.
this is about taking away Choice, whether you agree or not with the procedure, do not take away our freedom to have a choice!
Why can't CKC, Breeders, Veterinarians and pet owners work together?
Results would only benefit everyone concerned.
It is the puppies bought outside of registered breeders that end up with in the OHS or at the vets office because someone thought they could dock on their own.
Docking, Cropping and Dew Claw removal have been around a lot longer than any Veterinarian Organization, and are quite simply good Animal Husbandry.
In order to truly understand the benefits one would have to live and breathe a breeder's life. It is not the ear or tail altering that's wrong. What is wrong is that something that is so beneficial is treated like it is not.
Instead of learning and evolving these procedures, we choose ban and omitted those already skilled Surgeons from improving or performing, these much needed services.
I do not see a bright future for some of our registered breeds; I feel they will be only seen in History books.
if you want laws like in the UK, I would say move to the UK!
I for one live in Canada, and I do not want the same laws as the UK.
I just want to live in Canada,
democratic system instead of dictatorship.
Thank you for your time.
It's a barbaric practise and is done, as far as I am aware, purely for "the look", and not done for any medical reasons. It was banned here in the UK years ago and I suggest that no dogs should be allowed to be shown with docked ears.
Well, in the name of animal cruelty, why don't we outlaw the practice of neutering and sprayed? It's not natural to rob them the reproductive rights. Until then, leave the docking and cropping rights to the owners please. Leave my fucking dog alone for heaven sake.
Most veterarians and support staff don't even understand or know the procedure for cropping. I recently visited a large specialty and referral hospital with my two 7 month old, cropped puppies. The veterinarians and technicians thought the ears had just been done because there was tape on the ears. They had no idea of the procedure and how the surgery is done when the puppies are under a certain age, and then the ears need to be taped for a number of months for the ears to learn to stand. People should educate themselves about the procedure, and maybe see it first hand to fully understand it. As a vet tech myself, I have seen far worse and presumably painful procedures performed by veterinarians. I believe it should be a choice, and not banned.
It is better that the option to do these surgeries properly at a vets under anesthesia with pain meds be available. It would be far worse to ban and have these things being done in chop shops so to speak. Many people supporting bans have not thoroughly thought things through. What about far worse / riskier and more painful things like declawing or debarking. Banning is NOT the answer.