Since this thread started, I looked around on the net and there does seem to be a real effort to ban tail docking in America. I don't know how this would be accomplished as I can't see doing it state by state would be effective. After all, we have national breed clubs that set standards. It seems like pressuring vets and the AVMA is a tactic being used. I would hope that breed clubs of traditionally docked breeds would resist these efforts.
I find the whole issue to be a 'tempest in a teapot'. There are so many areas of animal welfare that truly deserve attention, notably the treatment of farm animals, especially those on factory farms. How we have gotten to the point of considering 'any' pain a companion animal may or may not experience to be cruelty while ignoring obvious institutionalized cruelty just boggles my mind.
I do think breeders and vets should be more careful when docking tails. If we are doing it for the breed standard, let's at least follow it. This is one area that we have complete control over and there should be no nubs. It's kind of ridiculous to dock for the breed standard and then ignore that standard, which in the case of the Yorkshire Terrier, is a tail docked to
medium length. So please, no more nubs.
For anyone that's interested, here's a link to some info from the Council of Docked Breeds.
Tail docking information from the Council of Docked Breeds