[Gypsy & Me]

After reading a post on the poll for docked tails I would what everyone elses opinions were on this subject...

Do you think Tail Docking should be banned or not?

Last year the Animal Welfare Act 2006 in the UK banned the docking of tails, unless done by a Vet before the puppy's eyes are open. They are not the only country to have this law in affect... but what is your opinion?

Originally Posted by Dogs Trust Website

Tail docking began hundreds of years ago when people had a very different attitude to dogs and ’animal welfare’ was unheard of. Docking is thought to have been (mostly mistakenly) used for the following reasons; to increase a dog’s speed, prevention of damage in dog fights, prevention of back injury, rabies prevention and even tax evasion!
These days, the main reasons given for keeping docking are:

To avoid tail damage
Reasons of hygiene
To maintain breed standards

Those were the main reasons for keeping docking, however, the pro-dockers don’t tell you the negative aspects of docking:

Docking removes a very valuable tool for communication. We dogs use our tails to tell each other how we’re feeling. We use different positions and movement to let others know if we’re happy, excited, scared, not sure, a bit grumpy or that we may attack. If we meet a docked dog in the park and we can’t tell what they’re going to do, some of us may well launch an attack just to be on the safe side! That’s not very fair on a perfectly friendly docked dog, who must be awfully confused as to why others keep beating him up and may even lead to him becoming aggressive on meeting other dogs or people as a way to defend himself.
Docking is associated with perineal hernias. Dogs without tails may have weaker muscles around the anus and are therefore more likely to develop hernias. These hernias can lead to constipation, straining and difficulty in passing poop, which of course can be very uncomfortable and distressing. Sometimes the bladder becomes trapped in the hernia, causing severe problems which may become life-threatening.

Docking is associated with urinary incontinence in bitches. The muscles that help control urination in female dogs, attach to the tail base. These may become weakened or damaged in docked dogs, leading to an increased likelihood of urinary incontinence. Although most dogs don’t realise they are doing it and don’t become distressed, it can lead to unhappy, fed-up owners deciding to rehome or even destroy their otherwise happy and healthy dogs.

Tails are docked either by ‘banding’ where a ligature is placed over the end of the tail which ‘comes away’ after 3 days, or by cutting off with surgical scissors. Where tails are cut off, stitches may be needed for larger breeds.

The procedure is usually performed without any anaesthetic (which would be too dangerous) at between three to five days of age. Complications in docking can lead to the death of the puppy and the tail stump may be painful in later life due to the formation of scar tissue.