Why are people still docking dogs' tails?

noodler · 20-02-2020 01:45PM

Itssoeasy wrote: »

I honestly didn't know terriers has their tails docked. For the majority of my life as a child and as an adult ive had boxers who have always had docked tails(the ears have never been touched because the look stupid imo) and yes I know they are born with tails but I'd never owned one with a tail and a boxer with a tail to me just looks strange.

It's a ****ing scary justification for mutilation.

Bannasidhe · 20-02-2020 01:53PM

Oranage2 wrote: »

Well as already mentioned every busy body Tom dick and Harry will harass people, so you're basically saying just put every dog down that has a docked tail to stop people doing it.

As for the authorities, I can imagine it now at the Garda station 'Tell that young woman alone with a child during the break-in to wait, there's a dog in the park with a docked tail'.

All great ideas....

I said no such thing and you know it so stop with your nonsense.

Your hyperbole has gone into hyperdrive there.

Alun · 20-02-2020 01:56PM

Graces7 wrote: »

I had a US visitor a while ago who was boasting about how her uncle declawed their cats for them. She was lucky the laws of hospitality curbed my response. Imagine having your nails surgically removed. Happened to my big toe once and it was excruciating as it healed.

The thing is it's actually worse than that. It's not the claws themselves that are removed, they'd just grow back eventually. It's the whole tip of the toe that contains the cat equivalent of your "nail bed" that's removed.

It's more like having the tips of each and every one of your fingers and toes removed at the first knuckle.

Segotias · 20-02-2020 02:23PM

khalessi wrote: »

Old English Sheepdogs look beautiful with their tails

Have had numerous people ask my why my Old English Sheepdog has a tail. Some seem to be very surprised he was born with it, given they're known as bobtails

Not as many on my cocker spaniel, though my understand there was because they used to be mainly working dogs going through bushes, water etc it was to stop stuff getting caught in them.

I tend to be the first to ask what happened to a dogs tail or ears if they've been docked or cropped. Its completely barbaric

Graces7 · 20-02-2020 02:35PM

Alun wrote: »

The thing is it's actually worse than that. It's not the claws themselves that are removed, they'd just grow back eventually. It's the whole tip of the toe that contains the cat equivalent of your "nail bed" that's removed.

It's more like having the tips of each and every one of your fingers and toes removed at the first knuckle.

My toes are curling up... HOW COULD THEY.

Airyfairy12 · 20-02-2020 03:08PM

Alun wrote: »

The thing is it's actually worse than that. It's not the claws themselves that are removed, they'd just grow back eventually. It's the whole tip of the toe that contains the cat equivalent of your "nail bed" that's removed.

It's more like having the tips of each and every one of your fingers and toes removed at the first knuckle.

Anyone who does this to an animal should have their own finger and toe nails ripped out with a rusty pliers.

Sick f*ckers.

Antares35 · 20-02-2020 03:13PM

Oranage2 wrote: »

Well as already mentioned every busy body Tom dick and Harry will harass people, so you're basically saying just put every dog down that has a docked tail to stop people doing it.

As for the authorities, I can imagine it now at the Garda station 'Tell that young woman alone with a child during the break-in to wait, there's a dog in the park with a docked tail'.

All great ideas....

This is odd logic

Nobody is suggesting putting dogs down because their tails are docked. Also, plenty of people have dogs with docked tails and have never been asked. I've never been asked (in 10 years) and I tend to bring mine anywhere I can so I would frequent areas that are "dog friendly" and thus have dog friendly people there!

EmmetSpiceland · 20-02-2020 03:14PM

This sounds like another “attack” on rural Ireland.

20-02-2020 04:15PM

Graces7 wrote: »

I had a US visitor a while ago who was boasting about how her uncle declawed their cats for them. She was lucky the laws of hospitality curbed my response. Imagine having your nails surgically removed. Happened to my big toe once and it was excruciating as it healed.

Oh but our furniture they say...……….

I seem to remember you're all for debarking dogs though? Or does my memory fail me.

Xertz · 20-02-2020 06:22PM

Graces7 wrote: »

I had a US visitor a while ago who was boasting about how her uncle declawed their cats for them. She was lucky the laws of hospitality curbed my response. Imagine having your nails surgically removed. Happened to my big toe once and it was excruciating as it healed.

Oh but our furniture they say...……….

It's actually FAR, FAR worse than that it often involves the removal of the whole structure that holds the claw, which is equivalent the upper joint of our fingers. Hence the risk of deformity, arthritic joint issues and serious life long pain.

The cat can end up really oddly behaved because it's either highly traumatised by this, in pain or unable to defend itself and will tend to lash out by biting instead.

Cats claws are extremely sophisticated parts of their body and they use them much like we use our fingers to manipulate their environment, climb, hunt, defend themselves.

These people go on like as if it's a kitty manicure. It's far, far from it!

It's an absolutely awful thing to do to a cat and I would probably not have bitten my tongue. They'd be booking a hotel.

Cordell · 20-02-2020 06:29PM

BattleCorp wrote: »

I'm just saying that the procedure doesn't seem as barbaric as people are making out.

Mutilating an animal for aesthetic reasons is as barbaric as it can be, pain or no pain.

Redneck Reject71 · 20-02-2020 07:19PM

Is de-barking dogs really something people do? I've never heard of that before nor can understand why it could be a thing, hats loco.

Lonesomerhodes · 20-02-2020 07:28PM

hamburgham wrote: »

Why do so many people still dock dogs’ tails? It’s so sad. I wish there was some sort of educational campaign against it. The tail communicates so much to us and to other dogs.

The poor old Jack Russells seem to be particular victims, so often left with barely a stump after their tail has been hacked off. Barbaric. Could someone be prosecuted for this?

Isn't it very obvious why people do it?. It's for aesthetic reasons.
Some people pay more for pups without a tail, some people who dock pups do it with very tight elastic so the tail dies rather than cut it off.

I don't agree with it but I eat meat so I never ever rattle on about animal rights. Their is nothing more barbaric to animals than the meat and dairy industry and I buy that stuff so can't whinge.

I genuinely think if you eat meat you can't go on about animal welfare, the meat industry treats animals like pure crap from chopping off beaks to so they don't peck each other to death with insanity to boiling pigs alive, skinning animals alive, animals so fat they can't stand so lie down all day in their own faeces waiting for death etc etc if you finance that (which I do I eat meat) I can't complain what others do.

Would make me a gold medal winning hypocrite.

Snails pace · 20-02-2020 09:03PM

Are you on about the meat and dairy industry in Ireland or aborad like America, Argentina and China ?
The tail is cut as a pup and is numbed so they can't feel it.

Itssoeasy · 20-02-2020 09:53PM

noodler wrote: »

It's a ****ing scary justification for mutilation.

I'm not justifying the practice I was trying to explain my reasons for why I find a certain breed of dog with a tail funny.

Antares35 · 21-02-2020 01:06AM

Lonesomerhodes wrote: »

Isn't it very obvious why people do it?. It's for aesthetic reasons.
Some people pay more for pups without a tail, some people who dock pups do it with very tight elastic so the tail dies rather than cut it off.

I don't agree with it but I eat meat so I never ever rattle on about animal rights. Their is nothing more barbaric to animals than the meat and dairy industry and I buy that stuff so can't whinge.

I genuinely think if you eat meat you can't go on about animal welfare, the meat industry treats animals like pure crap from chopping off beaks to so they don't peck each other to death with insanity to boiling pigs alive, skinning animals alive, animals so fat they can't stand so lie down all day in their own faeces waiting for death etc etc if you finance that (which I do I eat meat) I can't complain what others do.

Would make me a gold medal winning hypocrite.

Hmm this is actually a good point. Reminds me of several years ago there was uproar because some crazy guy deliberately ran a lawnmower over a mother duck and her chicks, and people raised the point that many of those outraged eat battery eggs, where the male chicks are a by product and are fed live into a grinder from a conveyor belt.
That said, people will never stop eating meat but they might stop tail docking.

Xertz · 21-02-2020 01:51AM

Those kinds of arguments are just classic whataboutery.

The fact that cruel practices are carried out in other aspects of human interaction with animals does not mean you do nothing about something like tail docking, declawing or devocalisation of domestic pets. Rights are often improved by tackling one issue as a time and just because something nasty is going on in some other aspect of life does not make this one any more justifiable or mean it should be ignored.

If we took the approach that we can’t do x because we haven’t addressed abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwy and z then we would never have moved forward on any issue.

Any improvement is a positive thing. It doesn’t mean that it’s the limit of ambition for animal welfare.

Esel · 21-02-2020 02:17AM

Dogtail soup? :eek:

Seriously, it's a vile practice, except when done by a vet for a genuine reason as described upthread, such as hunting dogs.

There was a thread in the Hunting forum a few years ago about a springer spaniel which was literally flaying itself with its tail - blood all over both sides of the hind-quarters. Cases like that are justified IMO.

Why are people still docking dogs' tails?

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