Hi again,
You asked for the reasons given for docking and in the interests of fair and informed discussion here are some that the AKC, as well as the KC in the UK will quote. As I just can't bear to be unbiased on this subject I'm afraid it may be a rather long post as my objections to their reasons just are just spilling out!
The old favourite is to prevent injuries to tails in working dogs. In Switzerland docking has been banned and a study was carried out by the AKC to monitor the amount of tail injuries that occured in longtail pointers as a pose to docked. By the age of three around 50% of long tails had had some injury to the tail.- Pretty impressive statistics until you really think about it. If I did a study of foot injuries in, say labs, and found that 50% of the studied animals had an injury to their front right foot as a pose to no injuries in dogs that had that leg amputated would anyone take me seriously? (Bear in mind that many of these injuries were very minor.)
Another reason in favour of docking is hygiene. In some breeds of dog, such as the Corgi and Miniature Schnauzer docking is to prevent fecal matter building up under the tail and health problems that would cause.- I can't understand why Cavaliers, Collies, Retrievers and countless other breeds with full coats and tails don't suffer except in rare cases.
Docking has been carried out for hundreds of years with no opposition.- Mmmm..so was slavery, witch burning and exposing unwanted offspring. The thing about time is that the human ideal is to learn over time about ourselves, our environment and the other species in it and work towards a beneficial future for all. Sometimes we see the light and have stopped burning witches etc.
If docking was stopped then the gene pool in many breeds would be dangerously depleted as not enough, otherwise good dogs, would have equally good tails or tail carriage to breed from. Some breeds may even dissapear and at best would suffer greater inherited abnormalities with such a restricted gene pool. - As docked breeds all have a small amount of tail left tail carriage is already part of the breed standard for these dogs!
If extremist animal right groups are allowed to push legislation through regarding docking it will only be a matter of time before they demand other changes in breed standards such as Basset Hounds without bowed (deformed) legs and Chows free from entropia.- I don't think it is extreme to want pain free pedigree dogs and to stop needless surgical mutilation. I think breed standards have pushed way too far into the realms of fantasy. To think of as normal dogs that can't whelp, breath or excersise without surgery, pain and stress is pretty b***** extreme if you ask me.
Seeing undocked dogs such as Boxers you will always wonder if they are pedigree. - I don't see how chopping off part of a dogs anatomy clarifies his parentage.
I could go on (and will with only the slightest encouragement!!!!) but I think you all need a rest from my ranting. Thanks for listening!