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From The Canine Chronicle this month
http://www.caninechronicle.com/Features/Grossman_08/grossman_1008.html
http://www.caninechronicle.com/Features/Grossman_08/grossman_1008.html
HEADS YOU WIN, TAILS YOU LOSE
By Dr. Al Grossman
There has been much rumbling and grumbling in the dog press about tail docking and ear cropping. Much of it based upon the European Unions edicts that will not allow either to be performed or will not allow crop-eared or dock-tailed dogs to compete in conformation events.
Many a kindly person has observed that maybe the Europeans are correct and these are barbaric and hurtful processes and maybe we should fall in line with our European brethren. These cries became especially loud after a long-tailed Cocker Spaniel won the breed at the AKC National Championship show. Of course, AKC had invited foreign dogs knowing full well that these would include long-tailed dogs because no other kind could be exhibited in the European Union.
This has now officially opened a can of worms since most American standards are not really specific enough about what to do with dogs with long tails. Some clubs have put out clarifications that seem only to obviscate the intent of the original standard. Some breed clubs are too timid to even venture a clarification hoping that some “higher†authority will rule on the issue. Of course if that higher authority is the AKC, they have already compromised their objectivity by allowing those undocked dogs to compete in their National Championship show. By the way, every other club in the United States is bound by the judge’s interpretation of the breed standard and not by any AKC ruling. Without a clear across the board ruling by breed clubs, we are stuck in a growing conundrum without any apparent way out.
Let’s take a look at why the European Union has taken their stance. Animal Rights activists have been very strong in all of Europe. When the continent finally determined that they needed to unite to compete economically with the U.S. and to tamp down nationalism to avoid the horrible wars of the past, it was decided to have a single legislative body. This body would make the guiding rules for all nations that wanted to be a part of the Union. The strength of the Animal Rights groups was such that that they were able to include a wide variety of rules and regulations that met with little or no opposition for any of the organized clubs in the region. Therefore, Europe is saddled with a bunch of rules which do not make much sense to the American mind.
Why then are so many so eager to adopt what Europe has done when it runs contrary to what we Americans believe about our dogs and practices we see as beneficial to the dog game in this country?
I see this as another insidious attempt by the Animal Rights groups to control the argument and set the tone for the destruction of the dog game as we know it. We have already been forced to give up many of our prerogatives through biased legislation, we cannot just allow another nail to be driven into our coffin.
Dr. Grossman, an international judge, was the publisher of Doral Publishing, one of the leading dog book publishing houses. Upon selling the business to Bowtie Press in 2004, he began work on a new concept: THE PROFESSIONAL DOG MENTOR. His website is chock full of killer tips on breeding and showing purebred dogs. It is found at www.winningsolutions.info.
By Dr. Al Grossman
There has been much rumbling and grumbling in the dog press about tail docking and ear cropping. Much of it based upon the European Unions edicts that will not allow either to be performed or will not allow crop-eared or dock-tailed dogs to compete in conformation events.
Many a kindly person has observed that maybe the Europeans are correct and these are barbaric and hurtful processes and maybe we should fall in line with our European brethren. These cries became especially loud after a long-tailed Cocker Spaniel won the breed at the AKC National Championship show. Of course, AKC had invited foreign dogs knowing full well that these would include long-tailed dogs because no other kind could be exhibited in the European Union.
This has now officially opened a can of worms since most American standards are not really specific enough about what to do with dogs with long tails. Some clubs have put out clarifications that seem only to obviscate the intent of the original standard. Some breed clubs are too timid to even venture a clarification hoping that some “higher†authority will rule on the issue. Of course if that higher authority is the AKC, they have already compromised their objectivity by allowing those undocked dogs to compete in their National Championship show. By the way, every other club in the United States is bound by the judge’s interpretation of the breed standard and not by any AKC ruling. Without a clear across the board ruling by breed clubs, we are stuck in a growing conundrum without any apparent way out.
Let’s take a look at why the European Union has taken their stance. Animal Rights activists have been very strong in all of Europe. When the continent finally determined that they needed to unite to compete economically with the U.S. and to tamp down nationalism to avoid the horrible wars of the past, it was decided to have a single legislative body. This body would make the guiding rules for all nations that wanted to be a part of the Union. The strength of the Animal Rights groups was such that that they were able to include a wide variety of rules and regulations that met with little or no opposition for any of the organized clubs in the region. Therefore, Europe is saddled with a bunch of rules which do not make much sense to the American mind.
Why then are so many so eager to adopt what Europe has done when it runs contrary to what we Americans believe about our dogs and practices we see as beneficial to the dog game in this country?
I see this as another insidious attempt by the Animal Rights groups to control the argument and set the tone for the destruction of the dog game as we know it. We have already been forced to give up many of our prerogatives through biased legislation, we cannot just allow another nail to be driven into our coffin.
Dr. Grossman, an international judge, was the publisher of Doral Publishing, one of the leading dog book publishing houses. Upon selling the business to Bowtie Press in 2004, he began work on a new concept: THE PROFESSIONAL DOG MENTOR. His website is chock full of killer tips on breeding and showing purebred dogs. It is found at www.winningsolutions.info.
