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Originally Posted by gemy  And that is my problem. How do you or I weigh through the underlying agendas?
How do we assess the information we are "given". the internet is a great boon, and a horrible bane! For what is a reputable site? How to know if someone has misquoted or misinterpreted studies that they referenced?
I do know that my experience is limited, as compared to vets or animal hospitals that see hundreds if not thousands of dogs a year.
While this topic is one as a breeder I try to keep abreast of, and quite frankly as a member of two breed clubs, that are looking at changing standards, I want to make the best informed decision I can, when it comes to voting time, for the change of standard.
I still feel that a ban is inappropriate at this point in time. Again I re-iterate docking etc, should be breeder's choice. And that for me presents a dilemmna. I know that the timeframe for docking is very short. And at 2-3 days old, is way too early for me to "guess" if this dog or that, will have the potential to go onto a World Champion. If I want any hope to show internationally I have to kept the tails intact! |
I agree with you that when looking for information on the internet the opinions and information a person finds are diverse to say the least. I'm not a reporter but I have found that in seeking out the truth concerning a multitude of matters one needs to consider the source of information first in order to decide if the information is coming from a person or group that has an interest in the subject and is already invested in one side of the issue or another. It can often be difficult to glean the truth of any particular issue when dealing with people or groups that already have an agenda.
I also agree that the decision is something for the breed clubs to make. We have enough government intrusion in our lives as it is. Informed individuals should be able to make the decision for themselves.
I'm not sure what conditions were in place in Europe at the time they banned docking but from looking at the info in the pdf much of what they are referring to were truly horrible cases of mutilation done by farmers and apparently individuals that had no medical training.
I have seen some tiny nubs on dogs that have been docked by puppy mill operators and that is an issue all in it's self. There are many problems in that area.
I'm not sure how much breeding you do but I certainly believe you love your animals and would not subject them to some horrible procedure just to be able to enter them in various AKC functions. While I would not make that assumption of all people who show I have known breeders in my lifetime that were very dedicated to their breed and would never have let their animals be harmed in order to enter the show ring.