Most of the purebred breeds that have docked tails have a history of hunting or ratting that made the docking necessary. Most of the smaller terrier breeds were bred to be placed in small areas such as holes in the ground and inside walls to search for and kill rodents. Docking the tail was done to keep rodents from latching onto the tail with their teeth in the confined space. Although the dogs naturally love doing their assigned task I think perhaps the actual hunting event in itself is more cruel than the docking when preformed properly.
Some hunting breeds had docking done to prevent the furry tail from being entangled in the thick brush that the dogs would run through as they did their job. Breeds used for fighting and security purposes had ears docked closely to the head so that when fighting or attacking a victim the ears were not bitten. Most purebreds were developed for a specific job and not for people who wanted a particular look in their pet.
In Europe and in some parts of the US uninformed and uncaring breeders often docked the tails of the litters they bred in unsanitary and cruel procedures. Many pictures of dockings gone bad were presented in the EU when the debate about docking was going on. Certainly no animal should have to endure such amateurish procedures for any reason.
Everyone has their opinion on this subject but I am against laws that flatly prevent people from docking under proper sanitary conditions by a trained professional. We can't seem to get laws passed to even stop the cruel puppy mill industry that tortures and abuse thousands and even millions of dogs each day in this country. Puppy mills dock the tails of their pups in the filthy conditions that they live in. Getting rid of puppy mills is first on my agenda and that would eliminate most of the bad docking done in the USA. A good breeder that wants their pups to conform to the standard and has the tails docked at their vet's office is not a problem for me. I am concerned about the breeder dogs and cats that sit in cages for years at a time without being bathed or any vet care, without a kind word or a comfortable bed throughout their life time and then are unceremoniously killed by their owners when they cannot produce anymore. |