I love watching the boxer dock tail wag but now I will have to get used to the full tail wag which I am sure I will.

You'll need to get rid of your coffee tables, anything lower than about 2ft, plus anything on shelves under 3ft high!

Also, don't sit on the floor and not expect whiplash!

rotts,dobes,boxers, are all working dogs in the working group of dogs. A friend of mine has a cocker spaniel. I'ts tail has been damaged 4 times dashig through briars,fences etc, and each time required veterinary treatment. A total cost of £190. on the last treatment the vet said it would have to be docked if it happens again ! what a pity the dog was not docked at 3 days old.

Many breeds of dogs that are not traditionally docked also damage their tails - of the three irish wolfhounds i had two had problems with their tails one had to have the end amputated after damaging it and my other had to have the whole tail docked after damaging it because it wouldnt heal

parliament is also considering banning dew claw removal as well. have you ever seen a dog with a torn dew claw. i suppose removing dew claws could be seen as cosmetic surgery by some people.

the point i was making is that the kennel club is supporting the government.

When I said working I meant 'working!' as in doing the job they were bred for - not just falling within a particular show group!

I have had Hamiltonstovare (not a traditionally docked breed) which damaged their tails to the point where they had to have surgery and one had to have the tip taken off. A friend's greyhound has had to have it's tail off due to injury. Another friend's Dalmatian has frequently been taken to the vets with a damaged tail. Should all these breeds (and many more) be docked 'just in case' they danaged their tails? The argument doesn't hold water when it's so important to have one breed docked in case they damage their tails but other breeds can damage them time after time yet no-one thinks of docking them because it's not traditionally done.

However you feel about it it's too late now. The laws have been passed and that's that. I'm not anti or pro docking - I can live with the outcome either way but I do wish people would be honest enough to say that (unless they WORK their dogs) they want their dogs docked purely because they like the look of it.

Debs

exactly! freedom of choice has been taken away from docked breeds. I saw in the press last friday that the EEC are looking at other breeds , such as bulldogs (breathing difficulties), dachounds (too long in the body and legs too short) where will it all end? The docking ban is just the start, in my opinion.

All the dogs I've ever had (bar two) have their dew claws left on and I've never had a problem with any of them


The KC made it perfectly clear that they were in fact PRO docking. Now that the law is passed they have to conform with it.

Debs

the law has been passed, yes, but it's not carved in stone, it's written on paper, anything written on paper can be changed, and i will do my best to try and get it ammended, and so should everyone else who has a vested interest in this matter.