Reasons for Rare Dog Docking and Ear Cropping Abroad

It's no secret to those of you who frequently follow international canine organization events that the dogs you once thought required docking and cropping are now seen with full, flowing tails and prominent ears, such as Dobermans.

Why are dogs with docked tails and cropped ears becoming increasingly rare?

As early as 2004, the Australian government implemented a law that explicitly prohibited any individual or group from docking or cropping a dog for any reason. Even dogs suffering from diseases requiring such procedures must undergo them only at designated veterinary clinics.

This law has had a global impact, with countries like Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Finland, Germany, and Denmark following suit by enacting their own legislation to ban this inhumane practice.

While the United States has not been left out, each state has its own independent legal system, meaning that the law against docking and cropping is not universally enforced across all states.

Of course, while laws prohibit this behavior, many dogs in certain regions are still subjected to docking and cropping.

Why is docking and cropping considered inhumane? To understand the answer, we must delve into the reasons behind it.

The Achilles' heel of many hunting dogs is that docking and cropping can reduce the likelihood of injury during work. Imagine a pack of uncropped Dingo dogs chasing a puma that has attacked humans. As one dog is about to control the puma, its ear is caught, and a fierce battle ensues. What would you do if you were the one shooting at the puma? If you shoot directly, the unfortunate dog might die alongside the puma. And don't think it's trivial; training a cooperative hunting dog requires immense effort, not just raising a dog to be a hunter. It's like the early storylines of Saint Seiya, where many die before becoming a Saint.

If you don't shoot, the unlucky dog might become prey for the puma due to its large ear. Reflecting on the effort you've put into the dog and why you didn't crop its ear, what else can you do but regret? Besides regret, what else can you do?

Of course, these are just hypothetical scenarios. For example, the Rottweiler, a wellknown working dog, requires docking partly because, in the past, its thin skin on the tail was prone to being scratched by wild plants in the jungle, affecting its work efficiency.

Today, dogs that are docked or cropped for work reasons are rare, with the vast majority being done purely for aesthetic purposes.

This is where the RSPCA's perspective comes into play. The organization believes that docking and cropping is a form of deprivation of a dog's natural rights, as dogs are stripped of their own rights by humans.

Why is that? Many dog breeds are born with tails, but after docking, owners find it difficult to understand their dogs' emotions and states.

This brings us to another "benefit" of docking and cropping: preventing others from understanding a dog's emotions.

The Cane Corso is a prime example. The breed was originally bred to protect owners' property and chase escaped slaves, among other tasks. Imagine if a thief knew the dog's habits; wouldn't the dog's large tail become an accomplice to the thief? Docking and cropping can prevent this issue, as standing ears can be quite striking to strangers.

As mentioned earlier, dogs that are docked or cropped for work reasons are rare today, with the vast majority being done for aesthetic reasons.

When discussing the RSPCA, it's natural to think of the controversies surrounding the issue in the United States. The American Kennel Club (AKC) believes that docking and cropping are crucial for preserving breed characteristics, while the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) argues that these surgeries only change a dog's appearance and have only negative effects on their health.

Although docking and cropping is still common in some countries, we can see that more and more dogs are being left undocked and uncropped. People's attitudes are changing, and it's a gradual process that won't happen overnight.