[Britster]

Jackson has caught two birds in our screened in porch, he runs full force most days of the week, he chases rabbits in my dads backyard, he chases bugs and mice and whatever else they find back there, he jumps on/off furniture, he does agility, he goes swimming, he plays in mud... does everything most terriers would do and his tail (or dewclaws for that matter) have never caused him issues or gotten in the way... I'm just saying, I don't think protection of the tail is a good enough excuse and wish people would just admit (well, lots do) that it's simply a preference of looks. I can guarantee none of our dogs are TRUE working dogs. If you would let your dog in a big room full of rats, then yes a docked tail would probably come in handy, but most Yorkies are not used as working dogs anymore and chasing a few mice here and there in a fenced back yard is completely different. In fact, Border Terriers are one of the few terriers left that actually still are bred to be working dogs and they have a tail!