Dogs Trust > Information > Poppy's Opinions > Tail Docking >
Hello everyone, it’s Poppy, the Dogs Trust Office Dog with an opinion.
Tail docking
If the Animal Welfare Bill makes it through parliament in the form in which it was published as a draft, it will be illegal to dock any dog other than one which is going to be used as a working dog or for genuine therapeutic reasons (e.g. as treatment for injury or disease). This will reduce docking, but not stop it and may lead to all sorts of confusion – after all, how will a vet be able to tell if a puppy will really be used as a working dog in the future and how will anyone be able to be sure of the pup’s identity later in life? My human colleagues here at Dogs Trust will continue to campaign for a total ban on docking.
Some people are surprised to hear that it is still entirely legal to dock a puppy’s tail in the UK as long as it is done by a veterinary surgeon before the puppy’s eyes are open. Sadly, most individuals of traditionally docked breeds are still having their tails removed at an early age. The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) has said that it regards docking as unethical and therefore an indication of professional misconduct, however, those veterinary surgeons who wish to, can continue to dock without being prosecuted by the RCVS. Most vets now won’t dock but, sadly, some still do.
The British Veterinary Association, the British Small Animal Veterinary Association, the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) and the RCVS are all opposed to the docking of puppies’ tails. Veterinary bodies and welfare organisations such as Dogs Trust believe that puppies are caused unnecessary pain as a result of docking and are deprived of a vital form of canine expression.
Tails are docked either by ‘banding’ where a ligature is placed over the end of the tail which ‘comes away’ after 3 days, or by cutting off with surgical scissors. Where tails are cut off, stitches may be needed for larger breeds.
The procedure is usually performed without any anaesthetic (which would be too dangerous) at between three to five days of age. Complications in docking can lead to the death of the puppy and the tail stump may be painful in later life due to the formation of scar tissue.
Pro-dockers, such as the Council of Docked Breeds, claim that long experience indicates that, carried out correctly, the procedure causes no pain or discomfort.
Long experience? I think I’d prefer to believe in scientific evidence!
However, the WSAVA say that a puppy has a fully developed nervous system and a well-developed sense of pain. There are many biological markers to show that pain is occurring.
If anyone can tell that a puppy is experiencing pain, surely it would be highly trained vets rather than breeders? In any case, surely it is better to err on the side of caution when it comes to potentially causing dogs’ pain?
Tail docking began hundreds of years ago when people had a very different attitude to dogs and ’animal welfare’ was unheard of. Docking is thought to have been (mostly mistakenly) used for the following reasons; to increase a dog’s speed, prevention of damage in dog fights, prevention of back injury, rabies prevention and even tax evasion!
These days, the main reasons given for keeping docking are:
Avoid tail damage? I’ve got a lovely long tail with feathery fur. I run through brambles, in woods, long grass, heather and heath land. I frequently get cuts and grazes on the rest of my body (being a Lurcher with paper-thin skin) but I never hurt my whippy tail. Sometimes I get brambles and weeds stuck in my tail fur and sometimes my human has to chop a bit of the tangled fur off – but rather this than losing my entire tail!
My friend Reuben, has a long, strong tail that bashes our human friends around the legs and beats on the desks making a dreadful banging sound when you’re not expecting it, but has never hurt it – however, he does catch the tip of his ears from time to time and they bleed at the slightest touch or shake of the head for weeks after. No-one would dare to suggest to him that we go back to the days of cropping ears though...
Any dog can damage their tail but not all dogs are docked. Why are some ‘working’ dogs docked and not others? Why aren’t any of the Retrievers or Setters docked? They’ve got waggier tails than most breeds I know. Why not the hounds? They were bred to hunt over all sorts of terrain, and yet they’re allowed to keep their tails. It doesn’t make much sense to me.
The BSAVA states that they do not believe there is any scientific evidence to show that undocked working dogs damage their tails any more than undocked non-working dogs and therefore see no justification for an exemption for working dogs. Surely this says it all?
Reasons of hygiene? Call me crazy but isn’t it more humane (though less convenient and time consuming obviously!) to wash or clip the hair away from a dog’s bottom than to chop off his tail? If a dog is regularly groomed, healthy and eating good quality food then there shouldn’t be a lot of muck around his bottom anyway.
The RCVS says that faecal soiling is not a disease or injury and so cannot be a justifiable reason for docking a dog. I agree.
To maintain breed standards? This is docking for cosmetic reasons and that is just not good enough! The Kennel Club changed the breed standards so that previously docked breeds could now be shown with tails, so there’s really no excuse. The pain and disadvantages associated with docking cannot be allowed just so that a dog will look a certain way. Dogs are born with tails for a reason – if they didn’t need them, evolution would have made them smaller or got rid of them altogether by now!
Those were the main reasons for keeping docking, however, the pro-dockers don’t tell you the negative aspects of docking:
What I find really strange is that some breeders say that they’ll stop breeding their dogs, if they’re no longer allowed to dock them. I really don’t understand this; surely everything they love about their dogs can’t be less important than having to keep a wonderful, swishy, expressive tail? I certainly wouldn’t lose mine, given the choice – but that’s the point isn’t it? It’s not about the dog having a choice – to some people it’s about keeping their right to chose to remove an essential part of the canine body, regardless of how it actually affects the dog. Should humans be allowed to retain the right to do such a cruel act? I know what I think about that...
Now it’s your turn to tell me what you think -
To help you, you can see photos of traditionally docked breeds with tails at the website of the Anti-Docking Alliance www.anti-dockingalliance.co.uk
Email your opinions and comments to me at poppy@dogstrust.org.uk and the best and most interesting will be posted up for all to see - please see below. Please remember that your comments may be subject to some editing by my colleagues in the Communications Department – they find the keyboard easier to use than I do with my clumsy, though perfectly petite, paws!
Thanks for reading – I look forward to seeing what you think.
Until next time, when I’ll be barking on about another interesting aspect of the Animal Welfare Bill.
Best woofishes,
Wow! What a grrrrrrreat response we've had about this important subject. Here's what you've had to say about it! I will no-longer be posting responses to this subject but please do send me your opinions on the other topics on this page. Poppy x
I'm Eddie, a Dogs Trust rescue Boxer.
I just want to tell the humans (who I adore by the way) about my docked tail & how it has affected my life.
I was docked before my new mum & dad rescued me & my mum gets sad some times because she knows miss my tail.
I'm 9 now & the memory is going a bit so I can't really remember the pain of when my tail was taken from me, but every day when I go out to the park or the fields I am so excited I try to wag as much as I can to show them I can't wait to go for a run.
The worst problem with not having a tail is that when I try to make friends I can't wag & the other dogs often get very cross & don't want to know me. This makes me a bit weary when I meet them as I don't know what they will do to me.
The only way I can describe it to a human is to imagine you could not talk & you could not smile at another person - how could you show them you are friendly?
Please remember our tails are our best way to say I love you to the humans who look after us.
Thanks Poppy. We were just on our way to view a litter of cocker spaniel pups with docked tails when we read your article. We are now absolutely certain that we would only consider buying a pup with a tail!!! This cruel practice should be stopped!!!
Georgia, aged 8
I have owned and bred undocked Doberman people for twenty years. I have never docked or removed dewclaws. Dewclaws do NOT have to be removed automatically and most are fine with full claws. Removing dewclaws without anaesthetic hurts every bit as much as docking a tail. My undocked Dobes have worked obedience, agility and show. They have, in their lives, damaged every part of their body except their tails!!! To say that it reduces damage is ridiculous - it is FASHION!!! - no more, no less. If it were found, for example that Greyhounds constantly injured their left front leg, would it be OK to remove the left front leg at birth to prevent injury?? If there were a FASHION for three legged dogs, would it be OK to amputate a leg?? This is DAFT. And allowing working dogs to be docked?? How are you going to police that?? Every pup docked should have a FULL veterinary report, + certificate of legal docking, without which it should be illegal to sell a docked pup. If it is found that the pup has gone to a pet home, both the breeder and the Vet should be open to prosecution. Rottweilers are NOT working dogs - define "working", yet they will continue to dock them come what may. Corgis?? The QUEEN docks hers!!!! OK getting off my soapbox now! Thanks for listening.
I’m Mona, a much adored black Cocker Spaniel from Herefordshire. When my humans came to pick me up from the farm in Wales where I was born seven years ago, they were delighted to discover that I had a lovely, long, lively tail. The breeder was worried that it would put them off me - ridiculous! Of course, my humans are very sensible, and they reassured her that on the contrary, the total opposite was true. My much-missed predecessor was a golden Cocker called Tess, and sadly she didn’t escape the dreadful docking – all she had for a tail was a sorry little stump. In true Cocker style, however, that little stump never once stopped wagging. My humans were saddened to think that poor old Tess could never fully express her zest for life and her love for them with an enthusiastic whoosh of a full- length tail. And they believe that the reason she developed serious problems with her bottom as she grew older may well have been a result of weak muscles in that area – possibly because of the docking. Tess just didn’t deserve that – no dog does. If only she’d been born in my litter.
I now share my pad with two terriers, Milo and Dill – A.K.A The Border Boys. Dilly has a wonderfully thick, long tail, but poor Milo was crushed a little when he was in his mum’s womb, and as a result, he’s a bit of a runt and his tail is wonky! But it doesn’t cause him any trouble, and just serves to make him even more irresistible to everyone who meets him (not that I’m jealous of course!). Milo and Dill’s respectively crooked and perfect tails, and my glossy black tail – well, they are just as much a part of us as our barks (incessant whenever we hear our family’s car coming down the lane) and the way we receive our toast crusts at the breakfast table (the Border Boys’ methods are far more delicate than mine). So how could anyone ever justify taking our tails away from us? They are rightfully ours! I can’t imagine how anyone who claims to love animals could treat a dog with such senseless and unnecessary cruelty. Never mind maintaining breeds and all those other lame excuses they’ve come up with to shut us up. It’s mutilation, plain and simple.
Now, I know I may well be regarded as somewhat daft, lying in my basket upside down for much of the day waiting for one of my humans to come along and spot me in various endearing positions, but in reality I am exceptionally politically minded, especially when it comes to issues regarding me and my dog pals. So, I would like to wish you all at Dogs’ Trust the very best of luck lobbying for a total ban on docking, so that the next time I go and lie by Tess’s grave in the garden, I’ll have something interesting to regale her with (I think my unsuccessful rabbit-stalking reports are getting a bit tedious).
Yours with the warmest of wishes and many paw-prints of approval,
Mona XXX
Chloe & Mercedes here, 2 very happy, fully-tailed Westies enjoying life to the full.
Our human, Jackie, tells us that, when she was much younger, her parent's loving & gentle Fox Terrier, Patch had a litter of 5 beautiful puppies. The dylan of the litter was born with a stump instead of a full tail (she was called Stumpy - not a very imaginative name, but she had a wonderful life with Jackie's parents until she was 14). The other 4 puppies had their tails docked by the local vet in the kitchen of the families' cottage when the puppies were only a few days old as it was the thing to do with terriers' tails at the time.
Jackie tells us she can still remember the terrible howls of pain of each of the puppies as the vet cut off their tails without anaesthetic and the snarling, totally out-of character reaction of their mum, Patch as she tried to reach her puppies. If puppies don't feel pain at such a young age, you would think they would have just sat there as they were mutilated and not cried out in agony, surely?
This all happened almost 40 years ago, but Jackie tells us that she can remember it as if it was yesterday, because the noise of those little puppies was so dreadful.
We're just pleased that our breed has always sported a long tail, but many of our Jack Russell friends have lovely long tails now as well and even one of our Rotty friends has a long tail - she looks great and wags her whole body when she sees us!
Hope you and Reuben & Safid enjoy using your web-page. We promise to check in again soon.
Lots of love
Chloe & Mercedes.
You mention that the Kennel Club now allow previously docked breeds to be shown undocked. Wouldn't it make more sense if these presumed dog lovers didn't just "allow" undocked tails, but made it compulsory?
Yours,
Isla, cross lurcher...... sorry, I mean lurcher cross.
Holly here, Eva's friend. I quite agree with you. Us dogs were born with tails and no human has the right to dock it just because THEY think it looks better. Unfortunately I had to get mine removed last year. I thumped it once to often but my vet left me enough to wiggle instead of wag. Elizabeth my human says she misses it banging against her legs but it had to be done It had gone necrotic and she said she would rather have a docked Dalmatian than no Dalmatian, but I still miss it from time to time when I think it's there and find I can't chase it to anymore. We dogs must band together and persuade humans to stop ALL docking NOW for the sake of all future generations of dogs. Only in cases like mine is it acceptable and done as an operation in a theatre.
Best woofishes
Holly and Eva
P.S. Eva thumps her tail twice as hard now for both of us Elizabeth keeps telling her to be careful or she'll end up like me.
I totally agree with your comments regarding tail docking. It is totally barbaric and all the arguments put forward by the pro-dockers are easily counteracted. Having owned many dogs I can safely say that legs/paws and eyes are the areas that are normally injured by mad hounds racing through undergrowth in hot pursuit of who knows what. I have never heard it suggested that we should remove dogs’ eyes or legs so that they won't be damaged!!!! As you say retrievers keep their tails despite lots of wagging, long hair and an original job involving running through brambles and other undergrowth so there isn't even any logic to which breeds are docked and which aren't. It also has to be said that as tail docking has been the norm in docked breeds for hundreds of years there can be no-one alive that knew these breeds before they were docked that can testify to the huge number of non-healing tail injuries that these dogs incurred when they still had their tails. The argument about hygiene is so ridiculous that I can't believe any one would put it forward. To remove part of your dog's body rather than keep it clean is, in my opinion, just cruelty. Buy a short haired breed if a long haired one is too much effort - or how about something easier like a gerbil?! I do think the public need to be educated about this though. I see people with puppies that have been docked and ask them why they chose to get one without a tail (never been known for my tact and diplomacy) and invariably I am told that either "they come like that" "you can't get them with tails". I, myself, tried to buy a Doberman with a tail and could only find one breeder that didn't dock - she of course had a list of waiting buyers as long as your arm. Many breeders told me that they can't sell them if they have tails (although none of them had actually tried). Maybe you could try to get some articles into the national press - if you put stuff in the doggy press you are, on the whole, preaching to the converted.
Best wishes
Tracie and Reef (and her beautiful tail!)
Digit and Fidgit again we and our owner lesley do not agree with docking unless it is done for a reson by a VET not by any old human we have a friend (a rottie) who had his tail docked by someone and then dumped he lives next door now and is the happiest dog in the world
love Digit, Fidgit and Lesley
I definitely do not think that dogs look better with their tails docked. Dogs are so beautiful anyway and I love seeing dogs with long or bushy tails. I also think that it is awful that young puppies and dogs are put in pain for no good reason. Tails are an important part of every dog and i think it is wrong to take it away from them.
From Jacqueline
We agree that in general dogs should have tails to signal their joy. However the loony working spaniels that we know do go and split their tails open quite often. As they will insist on looking everywhere! To stop them having their tails docked would we think cause them more pain and suffering in the long term, through stitches and infections, not to mention the mess they make as they don’t stop wagging even when they are bleeding quite heavily. However we would heartily agree that there is absolutely no need to dock tails on breeds like Doberman or Rotties or even on show bred gundogs. We think if the Kennel club tried a bit of positive discrimination and awarded extra points to dogs with full tails unless they also work it would stop almost over night.
Hook & Truffle Wilmot
Unfortunately when I was a baby (I'm 5 months old now) my breeder cut off my tail as I'm a English Spring Spaniel and am going to be a working dog when I grow up. My "stump" is about 4 inches long now and I don't stop wagging it!!! My Mam and Dad still know how I feel about them but my Mam doesn't like it that the breeder took my tail away, she thinks I still should have it but when they came to adopt me it had already been done. There is another Springer in my street though who is a working dog and she has her natural tail but keeps splitting and tearing it when she goes through the bush. My big brother, who's a Bullmastiff, has a long tail which keeps hitting me in the face when he sees Mam and Dad coming! I just wag mine twice as fast to make up for the length!
Love and kisses xxxxx
Jessie Jane
The answer to that HAS to be NO.
Maggi
This is only done for breed standards and has no genuine benefits to the dog. Disapproval should be shown by all of us to owners who buy new pedigrees with docked tails. Make it uncomfortable for them and they may think twice about inflicting this pain on newly born pups!
Margaret
This is a good forum for those who disagree with Tail Docking, but it’s not getting through to the breeders.
Short-legged Jack Russells have no breed standard, according to the Kennel club, and yet the only breeder site I could find – in Cumbria - docks tails as a matter of course. Those wanting undocked dogs have to pay in full when the puppy is 3 days old.
If we boycott the breeders, people like this will put down the dogs. If we don’t, they continue to dock. If we ask for an undocked tail they make an upfront profit.
Who is the vet who does this work? Maybe it’s this person who should be boycotted – or at least question his/her conscience as to why they became a vet in the first place?
Joanna Pease
Windsor
I’m so glad to hear that no one stole your tail from you. How you must enjoy wagging it. How free and expressive it must feel for you to put people and dogs at ease from a safe distance with a quick high flicking of your tail. How nice it must be for you to show you’re scared, worried or feeling unwell by not raising your tail and wagging with vigour. How nice that people and dogs of all ages, races, breeds, colours and backgrounds have a key to understanding your feelings so quickly and clearly so they know how best to treat you, play with you, cuddle you or give you peace if you want it.
My little four legs, Scooby, a Belington Whippet cross certainly communicates very well with his tail. He’s very much like you. Small, black and grey, wire haired and utterly adorable. Having spent the first two years in a very good rescue centre, he started his real socialisation and puppyhood 18 months ago. How quickly he has grown into a young adult dog. Because he used his head and his tail, he has grown in confidence and knows what every swish or bat of a tail means to and from all dogs he meets.
Compare him to my big four legs, an abandoned Doberman. Our vet estimated him to be approximately four years old when we adopted him. He came with no history, no one who knew him and no tail at all. If a stumpy is what is left after docking, our Angus is a rumpy: a tail so short his bottom sticks out further than the bit he can waggle. He’s an average sized Dobey, black and tan a big softy who doesn’t hesitate to tell you someone is around. He has never learnt to play as such with other dogs. I believe part of the reason for this is because he is so often misunderstood by two and four legged souls. Let’s face it, he was bred – designed even to look scary. What was Heir Doberman going to do with a really scary, big looking tax collectors dog if he goes and gives the game away by wagging a beautiful whippy tail? No, he couldn’t breed the communication device out of the dog, so he simply took a knife to it. Back in those days if you couldn’t protect yourself you would most likely not be collecting taxes for very long. So he designed a dog to look as fierce and as unfriendly looking as he could. The fly in his ointment was wonderfully expressive ears and tails. So they would crop ears and dock tails. In our language that means pain and suffering for a very young puppy having plastic surgery to look angry. In the US they still do! Here we have decided that ear cropping is unneeded, and yet some people still hold on to the missing tail effect. No one needs to protect themselves with a dog any more. Indeed, if an individual sets a dog on a would-be attacker / burglar it’s the poor dog that can still be ordered to be muzzled or put down. These days most dogs are there as pets - to do no other job than to be loved and cherished by its two legs; a companion, a motivator and a friend when everyone else turns their back. So why do two legs continue to remove 80% of the dogs ability to communicate effectively? It’s beyond this family’s understanding. Angus does not make friends easily and dares not play chase in case his playmate misreads him and thinks he attacks. Angus has learned not to risk another rushed friendship for fear of being bitten again. The playmates simply cannot be certain his intentions are good because they have no visual indicator of a tail wagging to reassure them. So Scooby makes friends quickly and often. Angus wants to join in and play, but all he dare do is stand about 10 feet away and bark in excitement as Scooby and the other dogs play chase.
Another writer suggested that submitting our thoughts on docking are wasted here as we are preaching to the converted. I would challenge that!
Firstly, many dog minded people have not even considered the question: To dock or not to dock. They don’t breed. They don’t dock. When you walk through the park grown ups don’t point and stare and say “oh look! There’s a dog without a tail”. They should. People who care about dogs enough to look at this website now have four perspectives to consider the question from.
1) What difference does it make to the dog? We can’t always ask them, so we have anecdotal evidence from the two legs the dogs live with.
2) What difference does it make to the owner of a dog with or without its tail.
3) The scientific point of view. Biological indicators show that even a 3 day old puppy FEELS the pain
4) The pro-docking reasoning for the surgery. It’s easier to keep a very hairy dog’s bottom clean if there is no tail to matt. It looks like it used to in history, and that used to be considered better. Before we knew about electricity people thought that tails got injured if a dog was working for his keep. That’s during the same era when people took their dogs to church to use as a hot water bottle to keep warm in winter.
A further suggestion that if we boycott breeders then all those dogs would be put down is also, in my opinion inaccurate. If you have bred dogs because you wanted your lady dog to have a litter of breed dogs before having her spayed, you would do your utmost to find her pups as good a home as she has. If you bred dogs for profit, you’d flipping well stop breeding them if they didn’t sell, and like any produce with a shelf life, as the shelf life gets near it’s sell by date you offer special promotions and incentives to recover as much of the costs as you can. A farmer would sooner sell his heard at rock bottom prices than simply have them all put down. Which ever end of the spectrum a breeder is, it will encourage non docking breeders and discourage the docking ones.
Don’t forget, humans, like dogs are social animals. Apply enough directed and specific social pressure, and any practice can be made taboo or the best thing since sliced bread – or should that read un-sliced breed?
Dear Poppy
My name is Holly, I'm a Springer Spaniel and I was rescued, I have a full tail and I am one year old, I like to run in and out of bushes having a good old sniff round, you know what us springthings are like, I enjoy this so very much , and when I enjoy myself I wag my tail, I can wag it soooooo hard it thumps my sides. One little thing spoils my fun though, well when I say little, I mean its quite long and hairy, it’s my
tail. See the problem is where I live there's lots of gorse and of course all the best smells are in the gorse of course. I get so excited at all the lovely smells I wag my tail even harder and that gorse is very sharp, well I don't have to go in to detail to what happens to the end of my tail, it does hurt an awful lot though.I've not been very well for the last 3 days now, I've felt a bit down in the dumps, the end of my tail itches like mad and its a bit red and sore, I have some cream to put on it, but it doesn't seem to be helping much at the moment, lucky for me my dad stays up with me through the
night and sees that I don't keep nibbling my tail, never mind though I'm sure it will get better rather then worse, I hope I won't have to have some of it chopped off if the infection doesn't clear up.If you have any suggestions how I can avoid hurting my tail I'd be very grateful if you'd pass them my way, covering the end doesn't work because I keep forgetting that I shouldn't wag my tail.
Dear Poppy.
My name is Heidi, I live with Holly, I'm a 3 year old springer, I had my tail docked when I was an ickle puppy and you know what, I can't even remember having it done, I've never had any trouble with my tail that Holly has with hers. When she hurts it though I get upset when she cries, I hide away because I don't understand why she has to have pain and I'm frightened in case I get the same pain. Maybe Holly was a naughty dog - that’s why she gets the pain.
You know you said one of the reasons for getting docking banned was because a dog’s tail is an important way of communicating, does that mean you'll be getting droopy ears banned next? I like my droopy ears, I don't think I'd like sticky up ears.
Take care Heidi and Holly
I wholeheartedly agree with a ban to prohibit tail docking.
There is simply no excuse in this day and age, just a narrow minded, traditional view of some to dock tails which is now outdated and barbaric by today’s standards.
Keep up the good work
Sonya
Dear Poppy,
Shock! Horror! - I disagree with your views on tail docking. There is no recognised scientific evidence to support your docking "pain" allegation. Don’t take my word for it, though - just read the UK Government's conclusion in its Regulatory Impact Assessment - "The UK Government's preference is to allow continued freedom of choice. Scientists from across the globe agree that tail docking does not cause pain, as research distinguishes between groups of newborn animals, including dogs, and confirms that they are relatively immature at birth and up to around two weeks of age, and so cannot feel the same degree of pain as human babies, lambs and calves. Therefore, it seems unnecessary to amend current legislation".
You allege that docking may cause "communication" problems. However, you do not give a single instance of any docked dog that shows these symptoms. Indeed, dogs communicate primarily by scent and vocalisation, neither of which is affected by docking. Thousands of docked dogs, past and present, socialise just as well as their undocked counterparts.
You also allege that docking may cause "imbalance" when running around corners. Once again, you have not and you cannot cite a single case in support of this allegation. Thousands of docked, past and present, have all had perfect balance.
Finally, you allege that docking may cause an increased risk of perineal hernia and/or rectal prolapse. You have no evidence whatsoever to support this allegation. Not a single individual from the thousands of docked dogs, past and present, has ever shown any of these conditions allegedly attributable to docking.
You may play the "cutie dog with the waggy tail" role, but you are simply the conduit for anti-docking hysteria and unscientific baloney. If you are the best that your master(s) can produce, then the anti-docking case is truly desperate. For your sanity and credibility, I think you should apply to be re-homed.
Regards, Hooch.
(Publish this and make my tail wag across the web - if you dare).
Hi Poppy
We had our doberman/whippet cross docked but only because he cut his tail wagging it too fiercely and it would not heal.... after six months and the house looking as if the chain saw massacre had occurred in our house we agreed with the vet that it should be docked. Snoop did not appear to suffer and was much happier dog without the constant collar which was necessary every time he 'hit' his tail. I think that docking in certain circumstances is necessary but certainly not for vanity. I now have a springer and wouldn't dream of having her docked unless it for reasons as stated above.
Regards
Jan
Dear Poppy,
I am Buster, a seven year old Old English Sheepdog. My breed is also called the Bobtail because our breed is traditionally docked.
I and all my relatives are docked and we love it, not only is it traditional but it is hygienic and in our breed - the hairiest breed in existence - we can be kept free from fly strike and other awful experiences. Of course all good Bobtails owners look after their pets but sadly there are many people who don't. My 'upright' mum has to help those less fortunate Bobtails find better homes because their 'uprights' are not so clever at looking after us. Sadly (big sheepdog tears here) some beautiful Bobtails have to go to the rainbow bridge because of the neglect.
All my relatives are docked. We are docked before the age of 48 hours and we have to go to a very special vet who performs this for us. We feed on our mother and are not disturbed by this at all. At the same time we have our dew claws removed - this can be painful and some of us whimper, but for some reason the 'nasty vets' don’t want to stop this practice.
My own mother was very fortunate in that a well respected breeder removed her tail. In those days it was allowed and was performed well by people with long histories of dog care - many were in farming. When my mother had her own litter the new docking law came into force. She had to travel a long way to a vet who done the job and distressed the puppies (my uncles and aunts). Luckily they all survived. If this silly law had not come into force they could have been docked in the comfort of their own homes. A funny thing was this vet (who my mum didn't like) was prosecuted by other vets and won his case - my doggy brain doesn't understand why vets act like this. Surely it’s their job to be animal doctors not tell my 'upright mum' how to live her life? She knows more about the upkeep of my breed than most vets but these silly people interfere with our lives.
Luckily my 'upright mum' can speak out and she is encouraging people not to spend their hard earned pennies with vets who don’t perform docking. She said 'hit them where it hurts!' The only time I hurt is if my brother nips my ear when we play. So Poppy if you see a vet bite his ears!!!
Mum says I'm wasting my time writing this as your website is biased but I believe in democracy - since I learned how to spell it at dog training.
Can I ask why the removal of tails is called 'mutilation' when vets mutilate puppies every day by spaying them while they are still babies? Bitches should have at least three seasons and be allowed to mature before spaying is considered. But by spaying early the poor puppies are prone to temperament problems and their uprights will be visiting their vet every week where they have to spend more pennies on pretend behaviourist experts and special food that only the vet can sell.
My 'upright mum' says you never see a poor vet!
Yours with lick and without a tail
Buster Everest
Dear Sirs,
I am very surprised to see your organisation come out in favour of a ban on tail docking, which surely must detract from your main purpose, which
is to look after abused and unwanted dogs. I have no knowledge of breeds which are docked for cosmetic reasons, but I do have extensive experience with English Springer and Cocker spaniels. It is essential that they are docked to prevent damage and serious injury when they are worked in heavy undergrowth, try asking some people who actually own and work them.
Also tail-docking when carried out 3-4 days after birth is a very quick, bloodless and painless operation, as any proper vet will tell you. I trust you will re-think your present opinion, and consult with owners of working breeds to establish some facts before you jump on some unscientific bandwagon which has more to do with "animal rights" than proper concern for a dogs' welfare.
Yours faithfully,
Les Hart
Hello Poppy,
I am a four year old Boxer so have been around a little longer than you. At your tender age of 11 months, we cannot expect you to do other than listen to & believe the opinions of your masters who seem hell bent on preaching about matters they do not wish to tell the whole truth about.
I am talking about tail docking. No need to fear, I had it done when I was just a few days old and no, I have no recollection of it at all.
Take it from me, when your masters call it barbaric and painful, they have no scientific proof to back it up at all. They have been brainwashed into a stance against tail docking which luckily, 10% of vets still carry out legally in the interests of our future welfare.
Not all breeds of pups require it, historically it has been done to those of us most prone to tail damage in our later lives if not docked. I expect you have plenty of protection on your tail and do not wag it as excessively as I do :-)
I am glad to communicate with you in this manner as like most breeds, our usual form of communication is by scent & eye contact, I love having a chat with other dogs so don't be mislead into thinking I cannot do so with the absence of a long tail :-)
The only thing that has ever effected my balance was when I stole some ale out of my owners glass. He wasn't over happy, but I was.
Cheerio for now,
Bert the Boxer
Hello Poppy
Sadly at present I have no dog, but plan to get one in the future. However I am sure I can write on behalf of my departed friends, the three dogs I owned in the past who have now passed on to dog heaven. I totally agree with you about the docking of dogs tails. No dog should ever be docked unless it is for a medical reason such as an irreparable injury. It is time the kennel club banned docked dogs from entering the show ring. A dog's tail is an essential part of its personality and should be left well alone. Any owner who uses work as an excuse is talking out of their hats. Foxhounds and setters have never been routinely docked and no dogs receive more potential for tail injury than they have in their controversial careers. As for the argument about cleanliness - any owner who uses this excuse is just lazy. They should keep their dog's rear end clean by grooming or bathing.
Keep on wagging Poppy.
Love
Eileen
Working Springer Spaniels routinely have one third to a half of their tails docked, leaving them with a long and expressive tail still to be proud of. Most people who trial Springers want plenty of tail to allow the dog to display good action. The reason for docking them is that they damage their tails going into cover. Any gundog that vigorously attacks cover is liable to injury.
I had a show Springer for fifteen and a half years and he had a full tail. I didn't really want a docked dog but I did want a working dog. My working Springer has a very long dock and unfortunately the end of his tail frequently gets damaged as a result. He may eventually need his tail shortened.
I think it is wrong to put all tail docking into the same category. Docking a working dog is NOT the same as docking for cosmetic reasons. If it is to be challenged, evidence needs to be found that it is not injurious to a WORKING dog to leave it undocked.
Dear Poppy
I was so delighted to read your doggy views. It is a pleasure to read such sensible words coming via Dogs Trust. I am a member of the anti-docking alliance and have written to my MP to try to get him to support the ‘No Docking’ viewpoint. However, much to my disgust, he thought docking was a good idea!!! Don’t vote for Richard Benyon (W. Berks) at the next elections!
We currently have a black lab. Cross (rescued via NCDL – before it became Dogs Trust), but I have previously had an English Springer Spaniel, with a tail and I am currently on a breeder’s waiting list for a Welsh Springer Spaniel, also with a tail. It took me a long time to find a breeder who kept the tails on. Docking may supposedly not be done by vets unless absolutely necessary for a working dog but trying to find an undocked dog of certain breeds is very difficult.
Also, I think the general public needs educating on the facts of docking. Many have no idea that a dog isn’t born that way! A neighbour who recently bought an English Springer (docked) seemed quite bemused when I asked about his tail. She seemed to think that his poor little stump was how it was supposed to be.
My fingers are crossed for the end of this cruel practice.
Happy wagging
Viv Richardson
Newbury
Hi Poppy,
My name is Tickles. My mummy wrote to you the other day to tell you about how myself and all by brothers and sisters came from a puppy farm. Well, I thought I’d write to you myself and tell you about my tail!! The thing is, I don’t have one anymore. My sister Tessie and I had our tails cut off when we were little babies and I really miss mine. Sometimes I wiggle my little stump so hard that my bum wriggles around all over the place! People say it’s really cute but Id love to have my tail back so that everyone could tell how happy I am to see them! It’s hard work trying to walk and wiggle at the same time. My sister also has no tail; she never tries to wag hers so she always looks really sad. She sometimes has little accidents in the house and the vet told my mummy that because she had her tail cut off, its harder for her to wait till she goes outside to go to the toilet, her little muscles have been damaged. I don’t know why the man cut off our tails, maybe it makes us look like all the other 'proper' Jack Russells, but I’m a little individual boy. I snap my teeth together to talk to people, I can smile and show my teeth, I give kisses and can put my arms round people for a hug.....why can’t I give them a happy wiggle?????
Tickles x
I have a Boxer bitch called Titch. When I went to buy a Boxer puppy I knew I wanted one with a tail. I don’t think dogs should have them docked for any reason. She is beautiful and complete.
Dear Poppy,
I'm currently looking to buy a Cocker Spaniel puppy.
I owned a bubbly Golden Retriever for 9yrs, who we sadly lost last October to cancer.
I have always liked the Cocker Spaniel as a breed and feel this time, I would like a smaller dog, just more manageable in the home and on walks.
It’s come to light whilst looking at the controversy over docking. I personally don't agree but as a dog owner not breeder I thought I should read up on it, for all I know perhaps it has to be that way?
That’s how I come across your article and similar, and I am even more convinced I don't agree with docking.
Thank you Poppy and a wish you every success in your campaign to stop the evil docking.....long live the wagging tail!
Sam
Hi Poppy
We are Bramble, Mossy and Acorn, three 'proper' working spaniels aged 3, 2 and 1. We help our owner by working in very thick cover (bramble and Holly thickets) to flush out pheasants and rabbits. We really enjoy ourselves when we are out and particularly like sleeping in front of the Aga after a hard day’s work and a good feed!. We are very fit and healthy and our vet always comments on this when we turn up for our annual vaccinations. Our tails were docked when we were very young puppies but only the very end was removed so there is plenty left for us to wag. Our owner does feel that tail docking for cosmetic reasons is totally unnecessary and would support a ban for that reason only as he is sure that losing the end of our tail was a painful experience for us, but only for a few days. However one of our working spaniel friends with a full tail had a very bad time after cutting the end of it in a bramble thicket. His owner took him to the vet straight away but after three months when the wound was very sore and wouldn’t heal properly he had to have the end of his tail docked. As he is grown up the operation was a major one carried out under general aesthetic. We didn't see our friend for another three months as he couldn’t come out to work with us until the wound had healed. We hope that you can appreciate that there are two sides to every argument, particularly as an outright ban would lead to an increase in injury to our full tailed friends as has occurred in Sweden recently.
Thank you
Bramble Mossy and Acorn
As a boxer who loves Dogs Trust, as do mum and dad who got me after a bad owner had me for 2 years. I have been badly docked and not had my dew claws taken out as a working dog breed. My tail is fine but as I am into everything it’s a bit to long and the vet has had to fix it. As for my dew claws, I have torn them lots of times and it hurts lots but mum and dad and vets say I’m too old to take them out. Wish they would! as it hurts when I catch them. I’m only 8 years young please don’t stop taking out dew claws or docking tails as my big bro hurt his and it hurt more taking it off later, thanks.
Cassey (loved very much boxer) xxxxx
Hi.
Recently my brother-in-law bought a Springer and to my horror the poor little thing did not have a tail! It was docked. I said, “why did you support this breeder” and he said, “the breeder came out with all this rubbish that it was not an option to have a Springer with a tail”. This is complete ignorance of people who just want a puppy for a pet and not for showing or breeding. He was so convinced it did not hurt that I enlisted the help of my lurcher boy Storm, who is a little bit of a wimp and drama queen, unknown to them! I squeezed his tail very gently and he yelped, proving that if you cut it off it would be extremely painful!! My mum used to challenge people when we went on walks because she felt so strongly! Very embarrassing when I was a teenager, but it is right really. Don’t get me wrong, she wasn’t aggressive, she just used to ask why they support it. Many people then didn’t see a problem with it!! I could not remember why it was bad, so I looked on the web site and saw your article and thought it was fab - especially as you’re a lurcher!! But you need to spread your message again as many people take the word of the evil ones and buy puppies with no tails. We should all boycott the breeders that do this sort of thing; they are not dog lovers, they are money people, otherwise they couldn’t do it.
Bye bye
Kelly
We are long-standing (long-walking even) Dogs trust members. We have long been opposed to tail docking. our MP has told us that he is backing the Bill and opposing the amendment.
I have asked the tail docking lobby 'CDB' if they would believe me if I told them that my car was damaged by scraping through a pair of farm gateposts: the good news, no damage to the paintwork on the sides; the bad news, the rear numberplate was cracked?
I am very worried beause a friend in Oban, Scotland, saw a recently docked Springer Spaniel puppy and berated the owner, a prominent local solicitor. He replied to the statement that it would soon be illegal by saying: "Not in Scotland it won't!"
It seems that years of legal challenges and seeking to nobble the Scottish Assembly wil result in "exported" docked puppies turning up in England, and even worse the possibility of a Gretna Green one-stop tail-docking veterinary practice opposite the Smithy marriage suite! The worst scenario of all is dodgy Scottish paperwork for docked English dogs that have never been North of Watford.
Dogs Trust should get onto this as soon as possible.
Hi Poppy,
My name is Lulu I am a 2yr old Dobermann and I have a docked tail!
My big brother Henry (German Pointer) didn't have his tail docked when he was a puppy. He used to wag it all the time causing the end to split and blood used to fly all over. It caused him a lot of pain. Having known Henry and the pain and bother caused by his tail I consider myself lucky not to have a tail!
I have never had a problem communicating with humans or dogs. Why wag a tail when you can wag your entire body?! I have lots of friends and family and they always know what I am after and how I am feeling.
It has to be said that tail docking can be harmful if the person doing it does not know what they are doing but that goes for everything. I think breeders are on the whole very good at tail docking. I think that there are far more important things to be worrying about than tail docking for example over-feeding which I consider to be more harmful to a dog’s life than a short tail!!
Love Lulu
Dear Poppy
Holly and Eva again. Great News from Scotland. Our Executive have banned ALL tail docking:- the only exemption is therapeutic as it was in Holly's case through injury. All puppies are also being protected as it is now an offence to take any Scot's born pup over the border to be docked. We hope Westminster follows suite and makes no exemptions. Elizabeth has written to her M.P. and the others representing Central Scotland to vote this way.
Woofs and licks, Holly and Eva
PS I chose Eva to be my friend when we visited West Calder Dogs Trust, Holly.
Hello
I have a 8 month old Springer spaniel called pepper and he is constantly wagging his tail, so much that last week he actually took the tip of it of. I took him to the vet who said the only treatment that they could offer was to have his tail amputated. He went in on Thursday and had this procedure done, I brought him home Thursday evening in a very poor state he could not walk would not go to the toilet or eat or drink. On Friday morning His stump was very swollen and he had to be rushed back to the vets and had another operation as one of the blood vessels had come untied, I picked him up on Saturday morning looking much better and very bouncy he is not recovering at home. I would not agree with a ban on tail docking for breeds such as pepper as the trauma he and I have been through has been very stressful. Luckily I am insured but there are people out there who can’t afford insurance and I can assure you this was not a cheap operation. DONT BAN TAIL DOCKING
Sarah Carver, Great Yarmouth
Dear Dogs Trust
Whilst I am a supporter of your work, I think that you should provide a link on your website to the opposing pro-docking view. It's only fair that you allow the general public to make up their mind about docking and read the opinions expressed by the pro-dockers on the Council of Docked Breeds website. Or do you not realise that many people are in favour of docking? You might also consider the views of Vets who are also pro-docking and they have their own website too. It seems to me that you are sadly getting on the band wagon without considering both sides of an argument.
Yours sincerely, James Kelly
Here is the link to the Council of Docked Breeds website as requested by Mr Kelly.
Hi Poppy
Just read your page on the website and just wanted to say that I hopefully have successfully mated my doberman bitch and she should be due a litter of puppies on 6 Sept 2006 and I have decided NOT to dock their tails.
I must admit it is a hard decision to make; for homing the puppies only because I am not sure how or where to advertise a future litter and would hate not to be able to find kind & loving homes for my babies.
As for the pain factor I cannot see how it does not hurt even for a short while and the puppies are so small.
My bitch has her tail docked and I think she looks lovely but had she had a tail when I bought her I would still have loved her the same.
My friend had a boxer with a tail and we took no notice as it was normal, although she used it as a bit of a whip!!!
If tail docking is banned it would soon become the norm to see all dogs with tails and no one would take any notice.
Thanks Jane
Dear Poppy
I am 15 years old and I have loved dogs all my life. I have 2 Dobermanns at home and a Whippet. Next year I am buying a Welsh Springer Spaniel. My family have always supported the council of docked breeds as we feel that Dobermanns should not have tails. My spaniel will probably not have a tail either as I will be working it. However I feel that as there is no real evidence suggesting that it is cruel and we can only take it that they can’t feel anything that it shouldn't be banned. Why ban something that has been around for such a length of time? Nobody has ever asked a dog about it and even if they did they can’t talk so it would be useless. Many of the people that dock tails are caring people. In the Dobermann world I can’t think of anyone that abuses or hurts their dog and it is unfair to say they are being cruel to have the tail docked. Just because you don’t agree with docking of the tail doesn't mean it has to be banned. This issue isn't black and white it is far more in depth than that and just like the dangerous dog act you shouldn't assume it’s all bad.
Best wishes
Rebecca Hadfield
I have just been reading your comments on tail docking, and as a breeder of a docked breed , i am in total agreement with what you say. I do have my puppies tails docked, and for the following reasons. The Kennel Club say it is wrong, yet continue to register dogs with docked tails. Also they allow these same dogs to compete in all types of shows. Buyers want puppies with docked tails. 99% of all buyers say they have refused to look at a litter because they are not docked. It is the fashion. I am always worried that people will get an undocked puppies tail docked at a later stage.therefore causing even more suffering. No excuses needed, no fines, no removal of licences. Guaranteed imprisonment for anyone, including vets, who continue with this practice , is the ONLY way to stop it. Until this is done, i am afraid, I, and many other breeders will continue to have puppies tails docked. The KENNEL CLUB are the ONLY ones who can stop it dead. REFUSE TO REGISTER ANY LITTER THAT HAS BEEN DOCKED. Simply by not permitting registration until litter is at least 4 weeks old and a letter signed by a vet that the litter is undocked , will stop it dead. regards Adrian
Hi poppy! I have just got a 10 week old Cocker Spaniel yesterday, and she is sooo cute! She has a docked tail, but it it quite long for a docked tail! I think docking is cruel and i wish it could be stopped, but i still love my dog as much as I would if she has a full tail! Hannah xxx
I just went online to get instructions on how and when to dock the tails of my Jack Russell puppies, but after reading your information I decided not to! If any potential buyers object, I will direct them to your website. Thanks, I was not looking forward to explaining to my 12 and 14 year old sons why we had to chop the tails off these precious puppies. Midge, US
Hi Poppy. My name is Remedy & I am a 3 year old Rottweiler. I was a bit upset to read on one of your emails that someone said Rottweilers are not a working breed! Excuse me, we are classed as a working breed! The fact that many people do not bother to put our intelligence & ability to any use is not our fault. My mum works me in obedience and I have won two classes at open obedience shows this year.
My tail is docked and I do not have a prolem expressing myself to humans or other dogs. My stump wags very fast, and sometime I wiggle my whole bum, which is very effective, humans love it! Other dogs do not have a problem understanding me, when we read each other's body language it is about more than just our tails! I do not know how different it would be with a tail, all I know is I am very jolly and happy now and can wag as much as the next dog!
Remedy. Very happy Rottweiler
Hi Poppy
On the subject of docked tails, I would like to introduce you to a waggy tail! It is attached to me - Bailey, a cocker spaniel in Edinburgh. I am always being complimented on having a tail, by true dog lovers, while on my walks. I would have lost a lot of my expression if I didn't have a tail. Bailey (age 3 1/2 months old)
