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Post by Kona on Dec 16, 2004 16:09:03 GMT -5
He aslo "uses" his dewclaws, LIKE THUMBS Exactly why I said that I would only dock loose, unattached dewclaws. Dogs naturally use attached dewclaws like thumbs. I don't believe, according to breed standard, it is customary to dock a Great Danes tail and have personally never seen a GD with a docked tail. And look at what happened to the one I was talking about. "Breed standard" docked ears that turned out horrible, and "breed standard" undocked tail that bleeds constantly. So much for breed standards. Do what is best for your dog, not what will win points in a show ring.
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Post by sibemom on Dec 16, 2004 20:01:14 GMT -5
Kona I don't think any of us here would even think twice about docking a tail, or ears if there were some medical reason for it. I don't think Loey was saying don't do it because of a standard she was just saying what the standard was. For those that show yes it is important, but that is where the AKC needs to allow more breeds to be in the natural state and not what we humans decided they should look like. My GSD has a lazy ear and I have no idea if it will ever be straight all the time she is only 8 months, but you know what I DON'T care. I could go get the ear implants I suppose but WHY, it is not going to make her working ability any better, she is who she is and actually that lazy ear adds alot . It makes her unique ;D I just do not like the idea of ears being chopped off for looks. Tails I understand especially if you have a dog with HAPPY TAIL, but ears, I think we should LEAVE IT
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Post by ladyarya on Feb 12, 2005 9:18:31 GMT -5
I worry about making docking/cropping illegal from the dog's point of view. If you make it illegal, there is no one to do it correctly and you know that won't stop certain owners who still want their dogs docked/cropped. Case in point, the pit I mentioned earlier that was used as a bait dog had her ears cropped when she was a few months old.... with scissors. And not to start a heated debate here, but this makes me think back to when abortion was illegal in the US and women were getting sick and dying from having back alley abortions because there was no one around to do it correctly. (I swear, I'm really not trying to get into an abortion debate... just an example ) If you take away the people that know how to do a procedure correctly and safely, you're not going to eliminate the people who want to get it done and will do it at any cost. And in this particular case, the only being that you're hurting is the dog by leaving the owner with the only option of taking scissors to the pup. At least if it's left legal there will still be doctors willing to perform the procedure correctly, thereby minimizing a potential dangers to the dog by having an inexperienced person do it incorrectly. That being said, I would never do it to my dog, but that's my personal preference.. however, I could never see legislating my personal preferences if it could cause harm to others - in this case, the poor pup.
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Post by rogerb on Apr 5, 2007 11:57:19 GMT -5
Boy, did I get some stick in another dog forum for saying what most of you have, and thereby implying that ear-cropping causes unnecessary pain and is, therefore a form of cruelty They also couldn't believe that I'd never seen a cropped dog in the UK, and only found-out about cropping when watching American detective TV shows in the 60s where Dobes were always portrayed as vicious guard dogs!
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Post by bobbenson on Apr 5, 2007 12:59:51 GMT -5
Interesting discussion. I have a boxer puppy that I got several months ago. My wife wanted the ears cropped, but I could go both ways on it. I got the dog at 5 mo. I called some vets and trainers and got very conflicting info, but only found a vet that would crop the ears very young. I believe the technique to crop the ears at 5 mo is different. I didn't look further as I used it as an excuse for my wife not to crop. I was more worried about it coming out poorly. If the crop was well done, the ears are beautiful, but a falling cropped ear is not.
What concerns me more is the lack of information on the subject. Local trainers and vets didn't really know much about it (cropping). I didn't find to much good info on the internet. I didn't look that hard though!
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