One of the difficulties of bringing in a ban on tail docking and ear cropping in Canada is that show dogs with natural tails will not win in the show ring. Tails on puppies are amputated at around three days of age. As it is difficult to determine which puppy will turn out to be a show dog and which would many are done 'just in case.'
The other excuses for not docking tails that I hear are weak - 'the puppy soon forget about the pain of chopping off their tail',' they clear your coffee table with their tail', 'they can break their tail later in life,' 'it hurts if they hit you with their tail'. In the end, the reality of cutting off tails is simply a cosmetic choice - we want a certain look. I am always surprised at the number of people that assume breeds with docked tails are born that way. I strongly believe that if people witnessed the pain a puppy endured during tail docking and were given the choice, they would choose to have their dog keep its tail.
Many breeds even large breeds like Mastiffs have a breed standard to not have their tails docked - because people are used to that look. In Europe, where the Rottweiler and Doberman breed originated, tail docking and ear cropping is illegal and people now accept the breed with natural tails and ears publicly and in the show ring.
My wife, Michele , wanted to get a Rottweiler and I agreed only if the pup had a natural undocked tail . When we found one, the breeder said she was having trouble selling the pup because everyone expected a Rottweiler without a tail. People would come in with a preconceived notion of what a Rottweiler would look like and as soon as they saw the tail on this puppy would ask if it was even a Rottweiler.
That is how little Raven came into our household. Sporting her tail she wags it proudly and displays it like a mast on a ship. Even now at eight weeks of age, I can not imagine her without a tail.
It is time for caring people and dog owners in Canada and the United States to recognize tail docking and ear cropping as a cruel practice and get in line with many of the other countries of the world that have banned it. It is time for a new look - one that is natural and cruelty free - dogs with natural tails.
