Quote:
Originally Posted by Britster  Many theories have been proposed for the beginning of the practice; Tax evasion, Rabies prevention, prevention of back injury, increase of speed for the docked dog as well a method of prevention of tail damage due to fighting.
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Those theories are interesting -- I don't understand but they are interesting. How does having a full tail or not help with tax evasion? Or rabies prevention? I know you don't agree with them amd you are just passing on the theories other people have used. I just had never heard of most of them.
I thought the real original reason was so they did not get caught when going through tight spaces chasing the rats in factories, sewers and such. Who knows though? They really do not need their tails. Originally dogs needed tails to keep the flying bugs away, but I don't think any of us keeps our dogs where that is going to be a problem.
I know I had a lab once that I really wished had a docked tail. She cleared many a coffee table of everything from decorative items to hot cups of coffee with her happy tail. But Yorkies are not tall enough to present that type of danger.
I would be okay with the standard as it is or without tail docking. Like I mentioned before, it did seem unreasonably cruel
until I actually was there when the vet docked them. Mine really did not seem to have too bad a time with it. One sharp yelp and it was over. More like getting a shot or piercing an ear. No after affects and now I need never worry about it again. How many have pierced their little ones (human) ears? How different is that really? And male circumcism is really not necessary for hygienic reasons now that daily showers are available. But we still do that. We are a world full of decorative body changes from piercings to tattoos to some of the more bizarre alterations people do. Taking an inch or two off a tiny tale is not any more cruel or unusual than what we do to ourselves. I know they have no choice, but .... they don't get a choice on where they live, what they eat, what they wear, etc... we have made them ours.
I
respect those that feel strongly against the docking and do admire their dogs tails. I prefer the docked look, but that is the look I fell in love with when I decided on the yorkie breed. If they all had tails, then I would have that look in my mind.
I also respect tradition, and docking is part of a Yorkie's tradition. I know "we've always done it that way" is not often a good reason, but there is a little something to be said for tradition. I can see reasons for and against and was really moving towards the against until I saw how little they really minded the procedure. It sounds much worse than it is in reality.