|
Haopee, Misha came to me with a docked tail. If it had been my choice, I would have left her tail alone. Jack Russell's have fine tails just the way they are.
I do think it's a bit cruel and I'll tell you why. There is pain involved especially when the ears are done because it's a long healing process. I have seen two examples of when they go awry.
In the first example, my brother had his Doberman's tail docked. The person who did it, who was known to them through the breeder, cut it too short. Part of the bone was visible. The skin was not long enough to be stitched over to seal it. It didn't heal correctly. They ended up having to take the dog to the veterinarian for a procedure to fix it. It took quite some time to heal.
In the second example, it was the ears of my brother's Mini Pinscher. People don't realize when this is done that there is a lot of work to be done by the owner. Once the ears are cut, the dog must where a special cone that the ears are taped to. They wear one thing for several days and then there is a H shaped thing they wear after that to keep the ears up. The ears are bandaged heavily, too. The ears must be cleaned every day for several weeks. My brother's dog got an infection which was painful. Even though they cleaned them and rebandaged them an infection still formed.
Just seeing two dogs go through those painful experiences is enough for me to never want to put a dog through it ever again. And, I agree. We do these things for us, not for the dog. It adds nothing to their enjoyment of life.
| 
