Tail Docking
England
1. The current law is set out in section 6 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006
and in the Docking of Working Dogs' Tails (England) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/1120).
In brief, the Act makes it an offence to remove the whole of part of a dog's tail other than for the purpose of medical treatment, subject to the exemption for docking the tails of certain working dogs. In particular, the legislation states:
a. that any veterinary surgeon who docks a tail must certify that she/he has seen specified evidence that the dog is likely to work in specified areas;
b. the dog must be no older than five days and will need to be micro chipped;
c. the types of dog that may be docked; and
d. the types of evidence which the veterinary surgeon will need to see.
Wales
1. The current law is set out in section 6 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, and in the Docking of Working Dogs' Tails (Wales) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/1028 (W.95)).
The regulations are similar to those which apply in England but not identical. In particular:
a. the types of dog which may be docked are more narrowly defined;
b. the certificate which must be completed by both veterinary surgeon and client requires the client to specify the breed of the dog and its dam, and the veterinary surgeon must be satisfied that the dog and its dam are of the stated type;
c. the certificate must specify the purpose for which the dog is likely to be used and confirm that evidence relevant to the particular case has been produced.
Scotland
1. The current law is set out in section 20 of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.
This prohibits the mutilation of animals, apart from procedures specified in regulations, and the regulations which have been made do not include an exemption for non-therapeutic tail- docking of dogs. It will also be an offence to take a dog from Scotland for the purpose of having its tail docked. (RCVS Council, June 2007 )
Tail docking began hundreds of years ago when people had a very different attitude to dogs and ’animal welfare’ was unheard of. Docking is thought to have been used for the following reasons:
to increase a dog’s speed
prevention of damage in dog fights
prevention of back injury
rabies prevention
and even tax evasion. (1)
Today it is argued that certain breeds of dog should be docked :
To avoid tail damage
The BSAVA states that they do not believe there is any scientific evidence to show that undocked working dogs damage their tails any more than undocked non-working dogs and therefore see no justification for an exemption for working dogs.
Reasons of hygiene
The RCVS says that faecal soiling is not a disease or injury and so cannot be a justifiable reason for docking a dog.
To maintain breed standards
The Kennel Club changed the breed standards so that previously docked breeds could now be shown with tails. (RCVS Council, June 2007 )
Tails are docked either by ‘banding’ where a ligature is placed over the end of the tail which ‘comes away’ after 3 days, or by cutting off with surgical scissors. Where tails are cut off, stitches may be needed for larger breeds.
The procedure is usually performed without any anaesthetic (as this is considered to be too dangerous) at between three to five days of age.
Complications in docking can lead to the death of the puppy and the tail stump may be painful in later life due to the formation of scar tissue. (2)
Pro-dockers, such as the Council of Docked Breeds, claim that long experience indicates that, carried out correctly, the procedure causes no pain or discomfort. However, the WSAVA say that a puppy has a fully developed nervous system and a well-developed sense of pain. There are many biological markers to show that pain is occurring. (RCVS Council, June 2007 )
Apart from the pain incurred during the procedure and post op the other negative aspects of tail docking include:
Docking removes a very valuable tool for communication. Dogs use their tails to convey their emotions with different positions and movement to let others know if they are happy, excited, scared, not sure, or to warn of an aggressive reaction.
Docking is associated with perineal hernias. Dogs without tails may have weaker muscles around the anus and are therefore more likely to develop hernias. These hernias can lead to constipation, straining and difficulty in passing faeces Sometimes the bladder becomes trapped in the hernia, causing severe problems which may become life-threatening.
Docking is associated with urinary incontinence in bitches. The muscles that help control urination in female dogs, attach to the tail base. These may become weakened or damaged in docked dogs, leading to an increased likelihood of urinary incontinence. (3)
DON’T BE TAKEN IN BY UNSCRUPLIOUS PEOPLE WHO TELL YOU IT’S IN THE DOGS BEST INTEREST.
YOU WOULDN’T CUT YOUR BABIES FINGER OFF TO PREVENT IT FROM POSSIBLY BECOMING INJURED IN LATER LIFE, WOULD YOU?
http://anti-dockingalliance.co.uk/page_1.htm (RCVS Council, June 2007)
(1,2,3) http://www.dogstrust.org.uk/information/poppysopinions/taildocking/
http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/welfare/act/docking.h
1. The current law is set out in section 6 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006
and in the Docking of Working Dogs' Tails (England) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/1120).
In brief, the Act makes it an offence to remove the whole of part of a dog's tail other than for the purpose of medical treatment, subject to the exemption for docking the tails of certain working dogs. In particular, the legislation states:
a. that any veterinary surgeon who docks a tail must certify that she/he has seen specified evidence that the dog is likely to work in specified areas;
b. the dog must be no older than five days and will need to be micro chipped;
c. the types of dog that may be docked; and
d. the types of evidence which the veterinary surgeon will need to see.
Wales
1. The current law is set out in section 6 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, and in the Docking of Working Dogs' Tails (Wales) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/1028 (W.95)).
The regulations are similar to those which apply in England but not identical. In particular:
a. the types of dog which may be docked are more narrowly defined;
b. the certificate which must be completed by both veterinary surgeon and client requires the client to specify the breed of the dog and its dam, and the veterinary surgeon must be satisfied that the dog and its dam are of the stated type;
c. the certificate must specify the purpose for which the dog is likely to be used and confirm that evidence relevant to the particular case has been produced.
Scotland
1. The current law is set out in section 20 of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.
This prohibits the mutilation of animals, apart from procedures specified in regulations, and the regulations which have been made do not include an exemption for non-therapeutic tail- docking of dogs. It will also be an offence to take a dog from Scotland for the purpose of having its tail docked. (RCVS Council, June 2007 )
Tail docking began hundreds of years ago when people had a very different attitude to dogs and ’animal welfare’ was unheard of. Docking is thought to have been used for the following reasons:
to increase a dog’s speed
prevention of damage in dog fights
prevention of back injury
rabies prevention
and even tax evasion. (1)
Today it is argued that certain breeds of dog should be docked :
To avoid tail damage
The BSAVA states that they do not believe there is any scientific evidence to show that undocked working dogs damage their tails any more than undocked non-working dogs and therefore see no justification for an exemption for working dogs.
Reasons of hygiene
The RCVS says that faecal soiling is not a disease or injury and so cannot be a justifiable reason for docking a dog.
To maintain breed standards
The Kennel Club changed the breed standards so that previously docked breeds could now be shown with tails. (RCVS Council, June 2007 )
Tails are docked either by ‘banding’ where a ligature is placed over the end of the tail which ‘comes away’ after 3 days, or by cutting off with surgical scissors. Where tails are cut off, stitches may be needed for larger breeds.
The procedure is usually performed without any anaesthetic (as this is considered to be too dangerous) at between three to five days of age.
Complications in docking can lead to the death of the puppy and the tail stump may be painful in later life due to the formation of scar tissue. (2)
Pro-dockers, such as the Council of Docked Breeds, claim that long experience indicates that, carried out correctly, the procedure causes no pain or discomfort. However, the WSAVA say that a puppy has a fully developed nervous system and a well-developed sense of pain. There are many biological markers to show that pain is occurring. (RCVS Council, June 2007 )
Apart from the pain incurred during the procedure and post op the other negative aspects of tail docking include:
Docking removes a very valuable tool for communication. Dogs use their tails to convey their emotions with different positions and movement to let others know if they are happy, excited, scared, not sure, or to warn of an aggressive reaction.
Docking is associated with perineal hernias. Dogs without tails may have weaker muscles around the anus and are therefore more likely to develop hernias. These hernias can lead to constipation, straining and difficulty in passing faeces Sometimes the bladder becomes trapped in the hernia, causing severe problems which may become life-threatening.
Docking is associated with urinary incontinence in bitches. The muscles that help control urination in female dogs, attach to the tail base. These may become weakened or damaged in docked dogs, leading to an increased likelihood of urinary incontinence. (3)
DON’T BE TAKEN IN BY UNSCRUPLIOUS PEOPLE WHO TELL YOU IT’S IN THE DOGS BEST INTEREST.
YOU WOULDN’T CUT YOUR BABIES FINGER OFF TO PREVENT IT FROM POSSIBLY BECOMING INJURED IN LATER LIFE, WOULD YOU?
http://anti-dockingalliance.co.uk/page_1.htm (RCVS Council, June 2007)
(1,2,3) http://www.dogstrust.org.uk/information/poppysopinions/taildocking/
http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/welfare/act/docking.h
