Honestly, even if tail docking was totally painless, I would still oppose it, because it removes an important body part for no apparent reason. Certainly the idea that the pup might suffer makes it worse.
Again, it's about weighing the pros and cons of any particular procedure. I brought up s/n as an example before of something I see as a necessary evil. So tail docking has cons, and the only real pro seems to be that some people like how it looks. And honestly, if we stopped docking yorkie tails, I bet you in ten years, no one would think a docked tail was cute. It would be weird, like if you saw a docked retriever.
I also see it as livingdustmops described, as part of a culture that can treat animals very cruelly. Is your cat scratching your furniture? No problem, just declaw her. Does your dog bark too much? De-bark it. Still taking up too much of your time? Drop it off at the pound.
I'm not saying that people here think that way. I believe breeders who say they love their dogs and do everything for them. I just really want dogs to be treated by society like they are actual sentient beings that can love and suffer, and that we have huge responsibility to. |