I always feel so sorry for dogs that have had their tails docked. It's such an unnecessary procedure. Especially when the poor thing tries to wag his tail because he's happy, and all he's got is a nub!


My dog had his tail docked before I owned him. If I could turn back time I'd make sure it had never been amputated. Not his balls though. He's enough of a jerk already without being virile.

awwh yeah I feel for them too when they do that to their tails! It's sad.
Poor pets. To me it's not a good thing and OUCH it must really hurt too
when I really think about it.

paisley43 said:

I can't figure why someone who claims to love their pet would have a piece of the animal's body chopped off.

Oh, loads of people think THAT'S barbaric but they promptly have their cats declawed. Amputation is amputation no matter which part of the body you cut off. BUT... in some breeds, hunting dogs especially, it's actually necessary because when they work their tail will smash into things and it's so hard that it'll break on it's own. That only EVER goes for working dogs though that run that risk, otherwise it's only for beauty purposes. The ear cropping, there's no excuse for that.
However...I love the look of a cropped dobermann, I just think they look awesome. I'd never do it on my own but I still think they're beautiful.

Teacher said:

I've never owned a cat, but I'd NEVER get one declawed. Same goes for "de-barking" a dog.

I understand sometimes there can be a legitimate reason for tail docking. My dog is a Jack Russell, and if they're used for their original purpose of hunting rodents, tail docking can be necessary for the reason you mentioned. But the majority of pet dogs are just that: pets. If Fido's going to be in an apartment all day, there's no reason to mutilate him.

meow85 said:

LOL-I agree! I ALSO didn't know the Jack Russell's hunt rodents-Blah!
That must be why my little Molly goes after a mouse if she see's it!

paisley43 said:

Jacks were bred to be ratters and live in barns. It's why a lot of them have aggressive tendencies -they weren't intended to actually be pets.

My apartment had mice when I moved in in July. Thanks to Simon, I'm now pest-free.

meow85 said:

COOL! Go Simon (cute name btw)!

paisley43 said:

He's a good little hunter.

I was a bit concerned with how he'd handle the move from a hosue to an apartment, knowing how Jacks can be. But aside from being afraid of the balcony (I think it's the height. ) he's done fine.

I actually don't really care for his name, it's just the one the shelter gave him. But he already knew it to respond to it, so I thought there was no point changing it.

meow85 said:

Jacks breed have been created in this purpose at the turn of the 19th century. Unfortunately lineage traditions decreed that any dog breed created by man would have to get docked or having ears cut ONLY FOR AESTHETIC CRITERIA!! They found the lame excuse of docking them at birth just because "they're just newborn! They don't suffer!" (Yeah right!!). But still, it could be compared to cutting a newborn child's finger.

Docking dogs and declawing cats is going against nature, thankfully many foundations like WWF did their best to ban this immoral practice.

MarySharon said:

Like I said, if I'd had any say in the matter my dog would still have his full tail. I don't know a lot about how the procedure is done, but the stump doesn't look quite right. Either it didn't heal well or it wasn't done properly. It doesn't seem to bother him though.

Ok, so people don't know what dog they get in general...why the hell do you decide on a breed then? This is obviously not for you Meow, it goes beyond me how ANYBODY can decide on a breed without learning about them. The vast majority of breeds were NOT created to just look nice, they had other purposes too and that purpose is deeply rooted in their genetic makeup. What part of that is hard to understand? ALL terriers have hunting purposes of one kind or another for example, which can of course be diverted to other forms of activity like canine agility, obedience, freestyle etc but don't expect your terrier to be happy being walked around the block twice a day. I got a belgian sheepdog because of their purpose, I happened to get a flawed one who mostly likes chewing on a ball or trotting slowly through the woods but I KNEW what I was potentially getting into. It's THE most important aspect of getting a dog IMO, to know what you're getting.

meow85 said:

it sort of horrifies me how much we mutilate dogs in our culture. tails, ears, dewlaps, balls. just snippity snip.

THEN we have the nerve to call them 'man's best friend'

Y'know what? Some people actually cut off part of their boy child's penis!

OMG, I'm soooo totally going to try this! Up until recently, I never had a chance to do it because I'm cut.

Oh wait.

Upon closer scrutiny and actually reading this thread, I realize we're not talking about what I originally thought we were.


Erm. yeah.. I don't see the point in docking dog's tails.

Yeah, I think ear and tail docking sucks. It's not like most animals these days are used for the type of labor that would have justified it in the past. Aesthetic appeal just doesn't warrant it in my mind.

I do have a Manx cat, though. While many are born entirely tailless, some, like mine, have a little stumpy tail. Some Manx owners dock the tails down to nothing because the show calibre of the breed are always tailless. Also, there is some debate as to whether some Manxes with tails encounter spinal problems later in life.

I've considered docking my cat's tail to avoid the spinal problems, but I've heard such issues are rare... and I'm wondering if deep down the snob in me just wants a show-looking cat. I'll probably not do it.

What breeds get docked anyways?

I know Jack Russels, Boxers, Rottweilers, and pit bulls right?
Aside from it being completely unnecessary for a 'pet' dog, Jack Russells are constantly wagging their stubs at a million miles per hour it just looks silly docked. Poor things.

i dont like dog tails being docked i feel sorry for them

but we have rescued feral cats which we keep at our stables and the organisations which catch them up and re-home them cut the tip of one of the ears off when they sedate the animal to check it/neuter it because its an easy way of IDing the cats once they have been let go again and means they wont be caught up a second time to read a microchip or something

Imago said:

APBT/staffordshire terrier only ears cos they get blood ear if they get bit while figthing (don't even START me on that shit), pointers (tail), dobermann, soft coated wheaten terrier (not so much anymore though and only tail) - those are ones I think of right off. Some also do reisen schnauzer ears.

Lammastide said:

Spine problems are HIGHLY unlikely, I strongly suspect breeders and show people blow that out of proportion to promote it. The only way of reducing the kittens born with stumps (if people want that) is to only breed animals that don't produce kittens with tails.
Just say no!

Teacher said:

Yeah, I'm pretty sure the spinal problem thing is tantamount to an old wives' tale.

A lot of people also dock poodle's tails. I have a toy poodle and immediately dismissed the idea of docking his tail when it was brought up.

He's not fixed either. Next year, I plan on getting a female and breed them. I've always wanted to to do that and now I'm at a point in my life when I can devote my time to something like that.

Teacher said:

I got Simon from a rescue society devoted to Jack Russels. It seem a lot of people buy these breeds without understanding their needs. Too many people assume terriers are lap dogs because they're small. They're not. They're hunters and as such, can be aggressive and ill-mannered if not handled properly.

Apparently the original family who'd bought Simon as a pup paid near $1000 for him, but didn't do any research into the breed. The statement the Rescue gave me said they'd actually picked a JRT because they were big Frasier fans. They'd had no idea that very few Jacks are as docile and quiet as Eddie (the dog on the show) was. Nevermind that dog was older and even his handlers admitted he was rare and strangely quiet for his breed.

They ended up giving him up after less than a year when they made the mistake of allowing their cute "lap dog" to play in an off-leash park, and he got into a fight with a Doberman. I'll give you 3 guesses which dog walked away with more damage, and if you guess the little one you'd be wrong.

I've had experience with terriers and knew what to expect in adopting one. I chose an adult instead of a puppy partly because I'd heard this Rescue had a dog they were facing possibly having to have put down because no one wanted him(Simon) and partly because I can't be bothered to house train a puppy.

He still does have some behaviour problems stemming from his earlier life that probably can't be fixed, and he'll always have to wear a muzzle in public, but he's improved so much in just a year and a half. I can't believe anyone couldn't love this little guy enough to be patient with him.

XxAxX said:

Me too. The only alteration I could support is spay/neuter. That, at least, has a legitimate reason behind it.

Genesia said:

I'm not pro-that, either.

meow85 said:

You did a GREAT thing! I feel like that too, I've only had two dogs (Ollie for 12 years and Uzie is 6 atm) but both times I've been " NEVER again a puppy" I think that if people somehow just got more into adopting adult dogs and realising the benefits and the demand for puppies decreased then the insane cross-breeding (which is a big part of it) might lessen...or maybe they'd just put the unwanted pups down right from the beginning. But of course everybody get puppies cos they're sooooo cute!
How on earth would I need 3 guesses if there were only two dogs figthing? Small dogs do more little damage but the problem is that it only takes one BIG bite from a big dog to crack the skull or spine of a small dog. Other than that it's usually the little dog that "wins", if damage is ever a win.
I've always suspected that they gave the Frasier dog a mild sedative, it's common with media dogs.
Again, you did a GOOD thing!

I'm with you on this, I hate it too.

Teacher said:

From what I've read he wasn't drugged, but when the show started he was already around 6. He was a shelter dog too, though his handlers claim not to know why he was so docile. Either way, he wasn't a typical JRT.