I have to agree with everything you just said,

The woman obviously did not do her home work, and my guess would be ,if she did not give docking much thought, then I also doubt she game much thought to the breed health checks iether.

I understand and respect your views on docking, but i dont think it is your place to lecture clients, prospective or regular . I understand the pups where 2wks old far to late , but what if she had just been doing a general inquiry on the practices ethics.

Let's hope not too . Legitimate breeders tend to know about the docking procedures.

had the woman spent 5 min looking into whats involved in breeding rotts she would have been prepared, the codb can take some time to get back to you with a list of vets, several weeks so its best geting sorted out prior to mateing the bitch, or thats what i did anyway,
that said, if I had made an enquirey and got the sort of answer given I would be rageing, surely seeking a vet has to be better than joe soap docking tails, its this attitude from some people that makes people worried about contacting vets, I am lucky I have a fairly local vet that docks, but my own vet is against it, his attitude to me is I will not dock them but nor will I lecture you so long as a vet provided by the CODB does them, many nurses feel they have the god given right to judge people,

Have to say I agree I would not like to go to a vet and be spoken to like by a Nurse/ or receptionist or whatever, it is certainly not very professional. Okay in this case the lady was in the wrong, as the pups were two weeks old but it is people saying things like that that , as Shona says, that put people off contacting the vet. Everyone has the right to their view on docking but when you are in employment as as within as vet's surgery in my opinion as I have already said it is just not professional to speak to clients in the way the original poster did.

I would have gone off alarming if I'd been spoken to like that. I'm not for tail docking in show breeds at all but I'd be raging if I'd got a lecture for making an enquiry.

Did you actually explain that it was because of the age of the pups that they couldn't be docked?? From your original post it sounds as though you just said 'it's illegal' with no explanation whatsoever, which could make them go off to some 'backstreet' associate to dock them without realising it's due to their age.

People are ignorant and don't look into things correctly, but that's why you need to be able to explain things to them - because otherwise, it's the pups that will suffer, not them.

I have to agree with many here, owning a docked breed myself I would be filling a formal complaint if I had been spoken to like that. Docking is still legal until April as has been stated.

As has also been mentioned there has been many a debate about docking here so I will not get into the reasons why, but personal views should be kept just that in the work place, personal.

Even if the pups had just been born the breeder probably had left it too late as you should really book well before they are born, prior to mating even, I know Maddy was booked to have her tail and dews done well before she was born, and I had the choice to say no and think it over weeks before she made an apperence.

Then again sometimes the CODB do drag their feet, as Shona said, without knowing the circumstances you can't really judge someone. I was under the impression she had only just had the pups by your first post, but if they were 2 weeks old, she should have merely been told they were now too old. No need for all the 'it's wrong, it's cruel'. They are your views and not the views of everyone.

JMHO

This is what worries me, also with the new ban, less vets more nail clippers I fear.

I had heard of a local chap a few years ago who left it untill after the pups were born, by the time he got the DODB stuff back the pups were around 2.5 weeks old, he still managed to have them docked, within the law I think but I believe he had to wait a bit longer and the pups had to be put under anisthetic to have them done, I believe they left a square of skin to cover the tail then it was stiched closed, i would have left them at that age with tails on though if It were me I feel its a bit off to put older pups through a needless anisthetic and then the healing time would be a fair bit I would have thought at that age, mum aint so attentive at cleaning them and its a wound next to the anus, not good by any respect,

OH random that put a shiver right down me the thought of that

Some excellent posts here, especially from Megan and Random! I own a docked breed and would have been livid if I had been spoken to on the phone like that Docking is still legal until April, as has already been stated and I fully agree that personal opinions should be kept out of it - thankfully I have a fantastic vet whom respects my decisions and has never once tried to force their own views onto me.

I do feel sorry for these pups though, if the "breeder" had done their research they would have known that they needed to find a vet prior to the birth and I dread to think what will become of these poor pups now I sincerely hope they don't try and find someone at this late stage or attempt to do it themselves