The tail docking actually began as part of their 'work'. The tail is what gets grabbed to pull them out of the rat hole. The docking prevented the long end from breaking off when pulled.
The taxation came onto play to designate a 'working dog' from a taxable 'pet'.
Since we are no longer letting our precious babies dig for rats, I would love to quit docking as they have in Europe and let them all wave their little flags. I didn't dock my mom's pup and we love Rosie's long tail. |