Originally posted by WolfChan
Unfortunately, some people do still mutilate their dogs in that fashion.
The dew claw serves no functionality for the dog and is more of a problem area than not. Especially in working dogs it can be a cause of injury. If the dewclaw if removed within the first 48 hours of the dogs birth, removing it is nothing more than equating it as a hang nail in human terms. This is because the nail is so soft and has not started to harden yet. It doesn't even require stitches!

Personally, I have the vet remove the dew claws of all my puppies when they are first born. Of course my dogs are hunters and work in the field a lot so it has it's health benefit but even if they didn't hunt, they still play hard and in my opinion, why leave a source of potential injury if it's not necessary. I don't know anyone who does this as a fashion statement and I don't consider it mutilation. JMHO