AP: Ear clipping riles humane society

Ear clipping riles humane society

PASADENA – Several cases of dog owners snipping off the tips of their pets' ears to give them a fiercer look have humane society officials alarmed.

On Dec. 5, a worker with the Pasadena Humane Society picked up a 4-month-old Jack Russell terrier mix whose ears had been "totally mutilated," said Steve McNall, the society's executive director.

"They were swollen, scabbed and sewn together with carpet thread to make them stand up when they healed," he said. "The dog must have suffered immense pain because it was done at home without an anesthetic."

The dog has since been adopted.

Owners clip the ears of dogs to make them resemble pit bulls that are used in illegal dogfights, officials said.

Ear-clipping is a safe procedure when done by a veterinarian and once was common for show dogs and breeds such as Great Danes, Doberman pinschers and boxers.

But the procedure has fallen out of favor, even among breeders.

Associated Press

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20051226/news_1n26region.html (scroll down)

eom

I get a puppy, he or she is going to grow to an adult with his or her ears and tail that he or she was born with.

I'll have any dewclaws that are a problem clipped, but that's it (beyond spaying or neutering).

Trimming ears and / or docking tails is pure cruelty in the name of vanity.

Redstone

Also tail docking is so inhumane. I have a Rottweiler that I inherited from a friend. My doggie has no tail at all. She is purebred AKC registered and her tail docking is classified as a show cut. That is so cruel.

It's like cutting a person's tongue out.

have naturally short tails. My aussie does. Many modern aussies' tails are docked, but some still grow that way naturally.

My girl does plenty of talking, lol. Her whole bottom, complete with "pants," (the long, swinging hair growing down the back end and legs), wiggles ferociously. The little stub tail doesn't do much; while she can "wag" it, the rest of her back end is moving "bigger," so you don't even notice the wag.

landmark piece of legislation, so very important in the advancement of the humane treatment of animals. I know cities in California that have banned the declawing of cats, but the docking and trimming is needing to be banned as well.

My dog isn't the type that would need either, for looks or function. (Yellow lab) But some things just shouldn't be done on a pet. Austria seems to have the right idea. Thanks for that info.
The Professor

cases. I would NEVER do such a thing to a dog, just as I wouldn't declaw my cats.

I hope these bastards all end up in jail--AFTER they receive the same treatment they dished out.

reporting abuses to the authorities.

Perhaps a vet is the one that alerted the Humane Society. I know my vet would. (He's our vet, but also a personal friend.)
The Professor

cases. I would NEVER do such a thing to a dog, just as I wouldn't declaw my cats.

I hope these bastards all end up in jail--AFTER they receive the same treatment they dished out.

unless you can prove it benefits the health/safety of the animal - you have to get permission.

:eyes:

guess I won't be helpful :)

That is strictly a cosmetic thing. It's supposed to give the dog a look of "alertness". Anyone who knows ANYTHING about Boxers knows that they are more alert than almost any other breed. Boxers are probably the nosiest dogs on the planet!

His tail was already docked when I got him. At his first visit to the vet, I asked about it. The vet told me that it is mainly a "show" thing, but in his opinion it has an added benefit. He told me of many tail injuries he has seen in certain breeds, Boxers included, that would have been prevented had the tail been docked. When the tail is injured, constant tail wagging prevents proper healing.

I've worked as a vet asst. and ALL dogs need their tails, it helps maintain balance when running and turning at high speed. And the vast majority of dogs don't injure their tail,and when they do, it heals up just fine. The blood clots, the skin heals, it's all good. I had a Great Dane who ran his tail through a fan, and it healed just fine. About the only problem with tail injuries is that if you have stitches put in, some dogs will try and chew them out.

Sounds like your vet is simply making up excuses.

Even when veterinarians do it, it's not without side effects. I have never cropped a dog's ears and never will. Tail docking and dew claw removal I will do, on the other hand.

Or at least idiot owners tend to think so. I own a pitbull mix and think his floppy little ears are cute (when he runs or trots they flop...instant cute). People who force animals to fight should be air-dropped into the African Savannah with huge chunks of meat stapled to their bodies.

Let's clip their owners' ears and see how they like it!