Author Topic: New rules for 2017: no cropping or docking for pets  (Read 1905 times)

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Offline DeeDee

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New rules for 2017: no cropping or docking for pets
« on: January 26, 2017, 07:07:13 PM »
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Quebec's veterinarians will no longer crop ears and dock tails for dogs, cats, cattle or horses.

The Order of Veterinarians adopted new rules earlier this year that come into effect on Jan. 1, 2017.

The vets say tail-docking and ear-cropping are strictly cosmetic procedures that have no positive health effects for the animals, and like all surgeries put them at risk of medical complications.

Dr. Enid Stiles said tails are normally cut off when puppies are less than a week old.

"They are done with no anesthetic. Just essentially an amputation," said Dr. Stiles.

Ear cropping is typically done about the time a dog is weaned.

"It's done usually with an anesthetic it can be performed but the post-operative care is quite significant for that particular procedure and takes a long time to heal," said Dr. Stiles.

The OMVQ say it has been urging breeders to decrease their use of the practice for several years, and notes the practice has been outlawed in several countries.

Many breeders in Quebec are upset with the decision, pointing out that breed definitions for many show dogs still require ear cropping and/or tail docking.

More at: http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/new-rules-for-2017-no-cropping-or-docking-for-pets-1.3222104
"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." Edward Hoagland
"Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog; but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog."

Offline AK49BWL

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Re: New rules for 2017: no cropping or docking for pets
« Reply #1 on: January 26, 2017, 07:13:55 PM »
NOTHING that is health-inconsequential should be REQUIRED. Sounds like those rules need changing as well.
Brandon

Offline DeeDee

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Re: New rules for 2017: no cropping or docking for pets
« Reply #2 on: January 26, 2017, 07:40:35 PM »
NOTHING that is health-inconsequential should be REQUIRED. Sounds like those rules need changing as well.

The weird thing is, if someone over here (it's banned in Europe and other countries) has a docked/cropped dog, they're not eligible to be shown in places like Cruft's Dog Show. If someone imports a dog from over there, it's going to arrive with natural ears and a full tail. I object to anyone cropping and docking after they get here. Their tails have started to get hard, and their ear leathers have more blood flowing through and have also had some cartilage hardening.

The only thing those countries allow for ears is in some breeds where you tape up a dog's ears to make them stand up like a German Shepherd, or a Corgi like Barkly. Not all dogs will bring their ears up on their own. It's healthier for them to have their ears up because air being allowed to flow helps prevent ear infections. People that have cropped breeds do it because of the same reason. It's not all about looks like some will contend. Having ears up also aids in hearing. I'm honestly not sure why all dogs with suitable ears aren't just taped up instead of cropped. But I guess they didn't have tape way back when the practices were first begun.

I've had several dogs that had either been cropped or docked when I got them:
Fritz--Minature Schnauzer, cropped and docked
Three Airedales--docked, ears taped to fold properly
Sharkly and Barkly--ears taped to stand
Vlad--docked

I honestly don't know of any breeds that MUST be cropped and/or docked due to standards set forth as contended by some people, but I know a lot of people with dogs that have been.
"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." Edward Hoagland
"Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog; but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog."

Offline DeeDee

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Re: New rules for 2017: no cropping or docking for pets
« Reply #3 on: January 26, 2017, 07:58:07 PM »
This is the AKC's statement on it, and there's a link in it from the AVMA's statement that gives some history behind the practices:

http://www.akc.org/press-center/press-releases/akc-statement-on-avma-crop-and-dock-policy/
"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." Edward Hoagland
"Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog; but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog."

Offline AK49BWL

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Re: New rules for 2017: no cropping or docking for pets
« Reply #4 on: January 26, 2017, 08:45:55 PM »
I honestly never realized there could be another reason for doing the ears but now that I think about it, it makes sense. Tails tho, not so much.
Brandon

Offline DeeDee

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Re: New rules for 2017: no cropping or docking for pets
« Reply #5 on: January 26, 2017, 09:37:21 PM »
Well if you have a dog as big as Vlad, who still wags his "nub" into everything when he gets excited, you'd understand. Dogs that stay really waggy all the time often have to have their tails amputated later on due to a severe injury, or as the AVMA pointed out, several injuries.

And the AVMA is right. They're worse about damaging them when they are kenneled a lot. Then with guard dogs, there really is a bad aspect of tails--someone grabbing and breaking them. Same thing with some hunting dogs. Some animals that people hunt can grab a dog's tail and that's dangerous.

With some hunting dogs though, you really need the tails. They're flags so you see the dogs better in brush. If you can't see them well, you could shoot them by accident. That's why some hunters leave the tails on Airedales. So they'll have a flag because they're already pretty well camouflaged. But dogs with the white-tipped tails, the white section is actually called a flag.

Then there are dogs that have their tails removed and are now mostly bob-tailed naturally. Like Pembroke Corgis. They lost their tails b/c of some kind of tax thing. If they didn't have tails, they weren't taxed as workers or were marked as peasants' dogs.

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Shepherd's or herding dogs can be further divided into groups including pastoral dogs, which can be any dog connected with rural life or used in the management of stock on pasture grazing; droving dogs, which encompassed a wide range of dogs each selected by the drover for its natural instincts to deal with the particular breed being transported; and herding or stock dogs which is any type of canine that has assisted or assists man in any given capacity with domestic livestock in general. From these groups come the many different sheepdogs, working sheepdogs, collies, and flock dogs. During one period around the 10th century peasants were only allowed to keep small dogs for the destruction of vermin. Hired keepers, shepherds and herdsmen were also allowed to keep their dogs, but all were required to be mutilated in some way to prevent poaching of the royal game. Some of these mutilations were quite severe, but the herdsman's dog was required only to have his tail docked, or cur-tailed, as it was felt this was sufficient to slow him down. The people tried to evade this law, but penalties were severe and the monies from these fines were a welcome source of revenue to the crown. When these laws became unworkable, the crown then levied a tax on dogs. Realizing that the peasants could not pay these taxes, nor could they live without the help of a dog for certain tasks, an exemption from tax for dogs used for a purpose was provided. The shepherd or herdsman's dog was still exempt from this tax if his tail was docked.

More at: http://www.welshcorgi.com/corgihistory.html
"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." Edward Hoagland
"Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog; but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog."

Offline Pookie

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Re: New rules for 2017: no cropping or docking for pets
« Reply #6 on: January 26, 2017, 09:41:50 PM »
I honestly never realized there could be another reason for doing the ears but now that I think about it, it makes sense. Tails tho, not so much.

My dad bred beagles.  Unfortunately, sometimes they'd be born with "kinked" tails, and he would (I'm sorry to say) dock the tails.  His explanation was that if he left the tails intact, when they'd be hunting the tails would be more likely to get torn up as they went through briars, etc.   :(
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Offline AK49BWL

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Re: New rules for 2017: no cropping or docking for pets
« Reply #7 on: January 26, 2017, 09:53:23 PM »
Ahhh, got it. So for some it is a necessity..
Brandon

Offline DeeDee

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Re: New rules for 2017: no cropping or docking for pets
« Reply #8 on: January 26, 2017, 09:53:51 PM »
My dad bred beagles.  Unfortunately, sometimes they'd be born with "kinked" tails, and he would (I'm sorry to say) dock the tails.  His explanation was that if he left the tails intact, when they'd be hunting the tails would be more likely to get torn up as they went through briars, etc.   :(

Injured tails can be really hard to heal once it's on an adult dog. So, yes. Some prefer to not have to go through that at all and dock.
"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." Edward Hoagland
"Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog; but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog."

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