DR I'd dock my dogs tails because I love them, I don't want to see them with bloody tails at the end of a full days work.

What happens to my dogs when/if docking is made illegal, is it ok for them to suffer? Isn't it better to allow people the choice and let them decide what's better for their animals?

I'm sorry I won't be signing, I'm still pro choice.

Ripsnorterthe2nd: don't worry I understand your reasons Fact of the matter is most people out there are conforming to breed standards. They are docking for cosmetic not working reasons however they may try to justify it

Ok no probs! It just worries me that if docking is made illegal and working dogs aren't taken into consideration, what do I do? I'd love to have full tailed working Spaniels, but I can't find any statistics even from Europe that state anything? Plus perhaps you're right, the show world does favour docking? I really don't know TBH. I hope not.

This petition is all about docking for cosmetic reasons we all understand the need for working breeds to be docked I cannot say anymore without giving away who I am but I am a judge and dogs are indeed frowned upon "if they don't look right" by that I mean in the showring people do expect docked breeds to be docked. However you try to justify it it is wrong and cruel. If the KC said tomorrow lets have tails everyone would change their views whatever they may try to tell you on an internet forum. That's all i'm saying As per usual i've said too much

As you have to dock a litter in the first few days how do you know if the dog will be used in a situation where it may damage the tail or not?

How can you say it is for cometic reasons or practical reasons?

How do you differentiate between docking for a person’s convenience and neutering for the same sort of reasons?

I truly believe people should be allowed to make their own mind up having found out as much of the truth as possible.

Do not know how the anti docking vets can turn round and advice the early neutering of a dog can square their consciences, particularly when they never seem to tell the dogs owner the truth of the matter about the removal of the either the tail or the hormone producing glands.

In both cases they only mention the most lurid and emotive reasons for doing as they say how often do they give the opposing arguments?

They are supposed to be professional and should not be riding their own personal hobby horse, they should be doing their best to make sure their clients have the full story and IMO should neve be pushing their own view, in some of the more respected professions that would not be tolerated.

If a dog is born with a tail, then it should be left... but if needs to be done then it should be done by qualified vet or someone with the experience of doing so.

Not joe bloggs down the road who thinks he will have a bash at it because they think it will look good.

Not read alot about tail docking only snippets that I have come across.

I wholeheartedly agree Kirsty, it's dangerous for the puppy for Joe Bloggs to cut a tail off. That's why there is a law that states that only a qualified vet is allowed to perform the procedure.

However I would go so far as to say that in my opinion an experienced breeder probably did the job better than a vet. This would be because vets don't normally have the breed specific knowledge to know where to dock, as it varies between breeds.

But I too find the very idea of Joe Bloggs cutting a tail off with say, a stanley knife totally abhorrent.

Dawn R.(pro choice, within the current laws).

Don't think anyone would argue with that, must say the experienced breeders of time gone past used to make a very good job of it with less stress to the dam or pups and much less chance of infection from visiting the vets.

Think you really need to look for yourself, learn about the nervous systems of newborn pups and then you are able to decide it you think it is acceptable, not acceptable or more to the point do you have the right to try to enforce your ideas and feeling on others who may well know as much if not more than you.

I am coming to the conclusion some vets do not know how to dock correctly ...I started to help with docking tails and dewclaws forty years ago when no one gave it a second thought, there were many more shoots and working gundogs about then than there are nowadays .

All these shocking tales of squealing distressed puppies turned upside down.. you lift pups up for the dewclaws maybe but you don't put them on their backs for docking or they will squeal, puppies squeal when the dam turns them over on their backs to clean them for the reasons I explained above .

I was taught by an excellent vet that it is important docking is carried out correctly, to do this one should make sure that it is be done within the first couple of days after the birth before the brain is fully myelinated, that the skin is pulled back so when released it makes a flap and that the tail is cut in the correct place between the joints preferably with blunt suture scissors(puppy right side up so you can measure the tail and the puppy is not distressed) . Many puppies I have helped to dock have squealed when initially picked up but not when their tails were docked. I would never harm a puppy and could not have helped with docking if the puppies had squealed in pain..

I think after reading this thread, I will hide in the back with the patient dogs when I find out a client is coming in with a litter of puppies to dock. I love dogs, as we all do, but since I was never really educated when it came to docking puppies (my breed isn't docked) so I never really gave it a second thought as to how my boss or my veterinarian or whatever the heck he is does the deed. But now that I have learned a few new things, I believe I have the right to question his practices... But don't worry, I'm not going to go blabbing off and getting myself into trouble. =)