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View Full Version : i thought tail docking is illegal now



emszxr
14-Jun-07, 14:48
as thread says. just i thought it had went through government and was now illegal. just i see some adverts in papers(scottish) with docked dogs for sale.

Torvaig
14-Jun-07, 16:33
http://www.dogsrule.co.uk/blog/health/tail-docking-ban-in-scotland/

The above link ay of interest to you. It will be a while before it is eradicated as there would have been tails docked before it became law.

porshiepoo
14-Jun-07, 17:28
Personally I don't agree with tail docking for any reason other than medical.
The tail is an integral part of the anatomy of any breed born with one, there is no real purpose for us to take it away. Lots of people claim certain breeds look better without one - poppycock! It's just what we're used to seeing.

corgiman
14-Jun-07, 18:31
I have neighbours who got a pup about 5 weeks ago locally and it is docked but I thought it was illegal also.

porshiepoo
14-Jun-07, 23:01
I have neighbours who got a pup about 5 weeks ago locally and it is docked but I thought it was illegal also.

I'm not 100% sure but I thought it was illegal unless carried out by a vet????

I'm completely against tail docking dogs - should we feel the same about tail docking lambs though?

Lolabelle
15-Jun-07, 07:16
http://www.dogsrule.co.uk/blog/health/tail-docking-ban-in-scotland/

The above link ay of interest to you. It will be a while before it is eradicated as there would have been tails docked before it became law.

I just read some of this link. I don't know much about working spaniels etc... but in australia we had working dogs, as in cattle dogs, hunting dogs and they keep the tails. I like my dogs to have a tail, and if it looks unusual, its only because we aren't used to seeing some breeds with tails. But as someone says in one of the threads on the link, we don't dock their legs just incase the hurt their legs. If someone has a problem with tail damage, then have the tail removed by a vet under anesthetic.

gary.b
15-Jun-07, 13:43
I'm completely in favour of docking the tails of genuine working dogs, I don't mean working breeds in general, but individual dogs intended for work.
For example working English Springer Spaniel, gun-dog flushing and retrieving game-birds in cover, drug or explosive search dog working in confined spaces, travelling from kennel to its place of work in a dog box do sustain damage to the tip of an undocked tail. Undocked Spaniels have a long tail in comparison to the size of they're body and together with they're natural happy demeanor it can cause problems. Once the tip is damaged it almost impossible for it to heal. I believe its kinder to dock a pup at 3 days old than for an adult dog to suffer an injury and then an operation.

veekay
15-Jun-07, 18:56
I'm completely in favour of docking the tails of genuine working dogs, I don't mean working breeds in general, but individual dogs intended for work.
For example working English Springer Spaniel, gun-dog flushing and retrieving game-birds in cover, drug or explosive search dog working in confined spaces, travelling from kennel to its place of work in a dog box do sustain damage to the tip of an undocked tail. Undocked Spaniels have a long tail in comparison to the size of they're body and together with they're natural happy demeanor it can cause problems. Once the tip is damaged it almost impossible for it to heal. I believe its kinder to dock a pup at 3 days old than for an adult dog to suffer an injury and then an operation.

Labradors do the same sort of work and they dont have their tails docked. They also have long tails and a happy disposition. Docking is needless. But as with all things dog, mindset can be very difficult to change. Everyone thinks they are right, the pro docking and anti docking. Its like hunting - but I am not even going to start down that path.

Ash
15-Jun-07, 22:09
we got our cocker spaniel few weeks back, with a tail and he looks gorgeous, my in laws have an older cocker and he has no tail!why! its cruel!!!!

gary.b
15-Jun-07, 23:45
Labradors do the same sort of work and they dont have their tails docked. They also have long tails and a happy disposition. Docking is needless. But as with all things dog, mindset can be very difficult to change. Everyone thinks they are right, the pro docking and anti docking. Its like hunting - but I am not even going to start down that path.

Compared to a Spaniel a Labrador has a thicker tail that's more in proportion to its body, if you had worked either of these dogs you would see the different in their make up and the way they work and understand why undocked spaniels suffer split tails.
I've also seen GSD's with tail damage sustained in kennels, and am currently working a GSD with a docked tail.

Victoria
16-Jun-07, 01:49
Our Ridgeback is un-docked but she suffers from splits in the tail all the time. She gets excited, knocks it then wags her tail and its like a blood bath!

The more you try and chase her with a towel the more waggy she gets!

Lolabelle
16-Jun-07, 09:36
Our Ridgeback is un-docked but she suffers from splits in the tail all the time. She gets excited, knocks it then wags her tail and its like a blood bath!

The more you try and chase her with a towel the more waggy she gets!

I have 2 ridgebacks and both have thier tails. They have never damaged them and i take them out in the bush. But I didn't even know that docking ridgebacks was done.

porshiepoo
16-Jun-07, 11:06
My dane boy had the waggy tail problem when we used to go showing. He'd be caged during transit and would wag his tail so much that it made the end bleed :(. A judge at SKC then decided to run his hand down his tail and squeeze the end. [evil]

veekay
16-Jun-07, 14:16
Compared to a Spaniel a Labrador has a thicker tail that's more in proportion to its body, if you had worked either of these dogs you would see the different in their make up and the way they work and understand why undocked spaniels suffer split tails.
I've also seen GSD's with tail damage sustained in kennels, and am currently working a GSD with a docked tail.


I have worked with gundogs for more years than I care to remember Gary.b and all bar one has not been docked. the undocked dog's tail bled everytime he caught it.

But really this is neither here nor there docking has been banned and hardly likely to be repealed

gary.b
16-Jun-07, 15:19
I have worked with gundogs for more years than I care to remember Gary.b and all bar one has not been docked. the undocked dog's tail bled everytime he caught it.

But really this is neither here nor there docking has been banned and hardly likely to be repealed

Well if that is the case then you have been very lucky.
The fact that docking has been banned and hardly likely to be repealed will make very little difference to the people who want a docked dog.

Liz
16-Jun-07, 17:58
I wonder who will dock dogs' tails if Vets won't do it?

I would much prefer that this was carried out by a trained Vet than by some 'amateur'.

veekay
17-Jun-07, 18:03
The fact that docking has been banned and hardly likely to be repealed will make very little difference to the people who want a docked dog.[/quote]

There has always been and will always be a rogue element in the dog world who will ignore this ban and dogs will still be docked.

As I said before this is a subject that people are either for or against and nothing will make either change their minds.

gary.b
25-Jun-07, 11:18
Just for info;
"From 6 April 2007 in England, and 28 March in Wales, the docking of dogs' tails is banned in England and Wales except for certain working dogs and where the procedure is required for the purposes of medical treatment. The docking of dogs' tails is banned in Scotland, without any exception for working dogs, under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 with effect from 30 April 2007.

Those veterinary surgeons who dock the tails of puppies in England and Wales will need to sign a certificate to say that certain evidence has been produced to show that the puppies are likely to be used for work in connection with certain activities, and to say that the dog is of a certain type. Download the certificate from the DEFRA website.

The tail must be docked when the puppy is not more than five days old. The puppy also needs to be microchipped before three months of age.

Visit the DEFRA website for more information."

buggyracer
26-Jun-07, 10:30
another silly law that can be easily and legally ignored should someone wish to.