Ear cropping: animal cruelty, unless the dog is a “purebred”?!
January 29th, 2007 by admin
Last Friday, WTVJ Ch. 6 reported on a mutilated pit bull who was found by a Miami-Dade police officer. “The ears were a mess, one was cut off, they had fishing line wrapped around and pinned, someone wanted to amputate both ears to make her look mean,” explained a veterinarian who treated the dog. In a separate incident on Friday, a man was arrested in Fort Pierce after admitting to police that he used scissors to cut the ears of a dog.
The man was arrested because he performed the procedure at home. Unfortunately, cutting dog’s ears is legal in Florida if performed by a breeder or veterinarian. In fact, the American Kennel Club (AKC) promotes the cutting of some dog’s tails and ears, and the amputation of the dewclaw (an “extra” claw located on the inside of a dog’s leg), as “integral to defining and preserving the breed character.” According to the AKC, Doberman Pinschers should have both ears and tails cut short. Rottweilers and Cocker Spaniels at dog shows commonly have tails that have been cut. For the popular Weimaraner breed, “non-docked” tails are penalized by AKC judges.
Tail docking and ear-cropping of dogs, like the declawing of cats, are painful and disfiguring procedures. The American Veterinary Medical Association opposes ear cropping and tail docking in dogs for cosmetic reasons; they state, “these procedures cause pain and distress, and, as with all surgical procedures, are accompanied by inherent risks of anesthesia, blood loss, and infection.” Ear-cropping and tail-docking are both illegal in Great Britain and other European countries.
Dogs use their tails to communicate and express themselves. A cat’s claws are vital to a cats balance and mobility. Please speak out against tail docking, declawing and other unnecessary and cruel amputations.