We used to seeing our pet dogs meet us from work with their tails wagging. Imagine that tail missing. Sad, frustrating and incomplete, isn’t it? This is why veterinary and animal welfare groups are campaigning to ban the removing of a dog’s tail in New Zealand or also known as Docking.
Docking is prohibited in 33 countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia. Particularly, dogs who are usually removed with their tails are Corgies, Jack Russels, Rotweillers and gun dogs. Furthermore, this is usually done in show- breeding dogs although there are unregistered breeders who tail dock dogs to mimic the appearance of the breeds.
The New Zealand Veterinary Association (NVZA) calls for review of the Animal Welfare Act under the Parliament. The campaign was launched on June 12, 2013 which encourages public to ban the tail docking under the Animal Welfare Act (1999). According to Wayne Ricketts, NVZA veterinary resources manager, “We are asking people to go online and send an email to the Minister of Primary Industries Nathan Guy, to prohibit tail docking,”
Ricketts added that the only legal way to perform tail dock is to use a rubber band which can be applied within four days after birth by a non veterinarian. Afterwards, it has to be done by a veterinarian.
Dogs’ tails are important for communication and balance. Cutting their tails cannot provide any benefits on the dogs’ part and there were even proofs that it can harm them.
On the other hand, the president of New Zealand Kennel Club Owen Dance said that their organization have a neutral stand towards tail docking. This is because the opinions among their members are divided.
Additionally, Dance said that the people’s preference towards tail docking their dogs should be respected. However, they admit that they are concerned with people who do tail docking who are not registered. Just this May, two Cantabrians were guilty of inflicting distress to five, three-year old Jack Russell puppies by cutting their tails with a hot knife. Despite the verdict, the offenders were discharged without conviction because the consequences weren’t appropriate with respect to the gravity of the offense.
This is an alarming situation especially that people are performing tail docking without knowing what they are doing and inflicting pain in the process. Thus, since tail docking provides no benefits to the dogs, it is best to ban the practice, else leave it to the hands of the experts to minimize, if not eliminate the pain.
