Ear cropping?

[gaddylovesdogs]

I have no problem with cropping and docking as long as it is done by a reponsible veterinarian, not an owner. I personally love the look of the cropped/docked Doberman Pinscher. I have seen dobies that are docked and not cropped, and I personally like the cropped look. I also like the way Boxers look when they are docked. I don't like the cropped look on them though, so if I ever own a boxer it'll only be docked. Like doberluv said

The Doberman's tail is thin and whip like. It is fractured easily.

same goes for boxers. I've heard horror stories of boxers with natural tails being injured easily.
Other breeds I personally think look stupid cropped/dock. I've seen a picture of a docked Labrador Retriever. Being a lab owner and lover (I've got a chocolate girl ), I think that dog looks absolutely ridiculous. And we all know that labs constantly use their "otter tails".

If it's tail can't knock a wine glass of the coffee table, it's not the tail of a true Lab.

Pembroke Welsh Corgis just don't have tails. However, Cardigan Welsh Corgis have pretty long ones.

 

[joce]

Where did you see a cropped lab? That is so weird! I've seen one missing most of its ear from a racoon trying to eat it but why would someone want to crop a lab?! I couldn't even imagoine being able to get mines to stand.

My corgis tail was never docked, she was born completely without. But some do need docked. Someone on here was talking about getting their pups done.

 

[gaddylovesdogs]

joce---it's in a dog breed book, in the section about breeding. The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Dogs and Dog Breeds and Dog Care by Dr. Peter Larkin and Mike Stockman.

 

[joce]

Duh! I thought you were talking about corgi tails!Your talking about the lab ears? Can you scan a pic maybe I want to see. For some morbid reason!

 

[CreatureTeacher]

I love my dogs no matter what people have done to them in their lives. I've had dogs with cropped ears and docked tails, dogs with mangled ears and broken tails, dogs with missing legs and eyes, dogs with scars from burns and stab wounds, blind dogs and deaf dogs, and lots of dogs whose scars were inside.

But when they come to me, it's important to me that they all know they won't have to worry about being mangled any further. I will never pay someone to chop my dog apart to make him prettier. Not my senior dogs or my puppies. Because you don't know what other scars the dog will accumulate in his lifetime. I don't want them to start life or end it with another scar as a result of my actions.

 

[RedHotDobe]

Say....how are you feeling? I know this is a terribly difficult time for you. I know how much you loved your boy and this crop debate is silly when you think about it. We love our dogs so much more than so many people and definitely so much more than people who are mean and nasty and abusive to their dogs. I know you gave your dog such a happy life and all the love anyone could possibly give. How anyone can equate the relatively simple surgery of ear cropping with abuse is beyond me.

And as the link describes, there are functional reasons behind the cropping and IMO they still hold true. These are working dogs, protection dogs (always on call) whether they're a pet or a military dog.

I do hope with some more time, your pain will ease up a little. I know it will take some time. I still miss Bonnie, my Lab and think of her all the time, but the sharpness of the pain is fading.

*sigh* I'm okay I guess. Honestly though, it still hasn't set in that's he's gone. He wasn't sick, he was fine, and then all of a sudden he's just gone. On the surface it doesn't seem logical, but knowing he had DCM and an arrhythmia I know it has to be true. I don't care if I stood there staring at him, laying there, motionless, it still feels like he's here... somewhere. Leah and Jen were very sympathetic, and at the same time trying to get me a puppy ASAP. LOL. Leah said I should call Sandi, and that she has a litter that will be ready to go soon, and Jen said she'd call Lynn, because she has a litter due May 3rd. I was so happy though, because I knew I couldn't wait too terribly long for another dog. The house seems so empty, and his stuff is still here, so it really just seems like Duke should be returning soon. There's still a huge bag of EVO, toys everywhere, his beds, and collars and leashes galore... I'm just missing him. I had such a long list of "To-Dos" for him, and we never got to cross off a single one.

On the subject of cropping though, Duke had quite a funny looking crop. Actually, his ears had two different crops, so one stood and one flopped. I always thought it gave him character, along with his many other quirks.

I'm sure Duke has many friends at the bridge to romp with, including your Bonnie girl. I will never forget him, and have been thinking of him often.

 

[CreatureTeacher]

Sweet Duke. I know what it's like to lose a friend. I'm glad you had him and that you two were such good friends for so long. He was a happy dobie, and you did well by him. ((((hugs))))

 

[Renee750il]

Ah, RedHot, when did your Duke pass? I am so sorry. I know how you are missing him; you see him out of the corner of your eye when you're at loose ends missing him, you reach out to fondle his big head absent-mindedly and your hand is as empty as the hole in your heart . . .

When it is time for another one, you will know and Duke will send you the right companion.

 

[candy722]

Your are so righ Renee. They also crop and dock miniature schnauzers for looks as well. First of all, I don't even see a point of people docking the tail. The person who docked TOki's tail probably didn't know what they were doing. Toki's tail is only half an inch long. IT is so short and I sometimes feel like his unbalance. He runs side ways and I blame the person who dock his tail.

 

[Saje]

I don't agree with the cropping/docking of anything. There are horses that have had liposuction! What is wrong with us that we put these standards on ourselves and our companions? And, no, it's not just like how some people get plastic surgery. Our babies don't have a choice.

And I know that Mikey misses his tail. Poor thing. He'd wag it all the time if he could. I'd so go back and reverse that if I could. (I adopted him w/out). He licks the stub all the time. It makes me really angry that someone cut it off. I'm sure he'd love to communicate like Maverick and Nanook and all his other buddies.

I'm sure they feel a 'phantom limb' just like other amputees.

 

[RedHotDobe]

Thank you CreatureTeacher and Renee, and yes I swear there are times I see and hear him. He had shattered his right hind leg (before I got him) so he had a metal plate and a screw or two in there, and so when he would walk his joint would crack. I heard a noise that sounded just like that and I thought it was him coming down the stairs. He was such a weirdo, it's hard not to miss him. Especially the moments when I thnk he lost his mind, like when he all of a sudden caught sight of his nub, and starting chasing it. I was in tears I was laughing so hard.

He entered my life on December 20, 2003 at 4:00pm, and left April 10, 2005 at around 11:00am. I only had a little over a year to be with my old red boy, but at a ripe 10 years I'm sure he lived a long happy life. From what I hear sudden death is a much better way to go then the long waiting process on the many medications. I try to remember that, but it's always "If I only had one more day..."

 

[gapeach]

I'm sorry for your loss of Duke, but know he had such a great home with you. What a lucky baby! And I do believe they come back from time to time to check on us.

 

[Doberluv]

And I know that Mikey misses his tail. Poor thing. He'd wag it all the time if he could. I'd so go back and reverse that if I could. (I adopted him w/out). He licks the stub all the time. It makes me really angry that someone cut it off. I'm sure he'd love to communicate like Maverick and Nanook and all his other buddies.

I'm sure they feel a 'phantom limb' just like other amputees.

I don't know what kind of docking job was done on your dog, but that doesn't sound normal. My Dobe's tail wags just as hard as it would if it were long, just not as wide an arch... and if it were long, chances are fairly high that he'd fracture it, banging it against something, so whip like and thin these tails are. It wags and is terribly cute and he communicates just fine with it. Also, my dog never licks anymore than a dog with a long tail, nor is he bothered by it.

Another thing, if you read the links here and become better educated on this subject, your mind might be more at ease. This "phantom limb" thing you speak of is physiologically not possible as the tail is (or is suppose to be) docked at 3-4 days old....before the autonomic nervous system has developed pathways to the brain telling it that there is a tail there. If the nervous system is not aware of a tail, then when it is absent, there is still no awareness of something that wasn't ever there....to the knowledge of the dog.

I, myself have been in the medical field and understand anatomy and physiology, but if you'd read those links, you'd understand these things better too. To make statements without being informed medically is not such a good thing. You can make other unsuspecting people worried about something that there is no basis for. I highly recommend reading those links or other information in order to ease your worries.

There is no offence meant in my post...just a concern about statements made without merit.

 

[Renee750il]

Since Mikey was rescued, there's no way of knowing if his docking was done at that early stage or not. I could very well have been done too late and be a discomfort from time to time.

A good argument for doing things properly and at the right time or not at all.

 

[gaddylovesdogs]

Duh! I thought you were talking about corgi tails!Your talking about the lab ears? Can you scan a pic maybe I want to see. For some morbid reason!

It's of a docked lab. I'll see if I can get the scanner to work so I can show you. The docked tail is a little long...the dog looks so idiotic with a docked tail. Whoever has the idea to dock a Lab is crazy, in my opinion, LOL. They look so ugly docked.

 

[Doberluv]

Yes, that dog may have been done later, but as you know, dogs who have a leg amputated due to injury or cancer, adapt very, very well and very quickly. I still don't see that docking later would be the cause of such discomfort, as described. Perhaps something else is going on in there. I've seen some raunchy docking jobs and wonder if there's scar tissue or a bone fragment loose which could be bothering the dog. Maybe the dog is licking that area for some entirely different reason than that which it appears. A trip to the vet may shed some light. (just an idea)

 

[Doberluv]

Whoever has the idea to dock a Lab is crazy, in my opinion,

Yeah...I hear 'ya. A Lab has a thick, bushy, otter tail and it's used for swimming....a rutter. LOL. Maybe there was some medical reason for this...cancer or something. (?)

 

[CreatureTeacher]

This thread again makes me think of the book "Animals in Translation" by Temple Grandin. I recall her saying something to the effect of, "Just because you can do something to an animal and justify the act to yourself and others, doesn't mean you should."

 

[RedHotDobe]

The docked tail is a little long...the dog looks so idiotic with a docked tail. Whoever has the idea to dock a Lab is crazy, in my opinion, LOL. They look so ugly docked.

Aren't Labs that are used in hunting docked? I've heard someone say it, and they made it sound like that was just common knowledge. I guess my common knowledge just isn't up-to-date. I don't understand the point though, their tails are so thick, how on earth could they get damaged in the brush?? Not to mention they are RETRIEVERS, and their tails are used for RETRIEVING water fowl, from, *gasp*, the water! Maybe some people just have a docking obsession!

 

[joce]

My parents bred labs for hunting and I never heard of it. I have seent hem with injured tails though. Its hard to get them to heal.