My new pup pics

[Pyro]

Quote[/b] (indymental @ Feb. 01 2006,5:20)]Actually I think it is barbaric to circumcise boys just in case of infections, fair enough if they have suffered any and are considered to be particularly prone to it, but each case should be considered seperately and not just done as a matter of course.

But the practice itself started as a matter of course because of the disease factor and became so wide spread for the same reason. That was my argument

Quote[/b] ]Most times these days it is done for religious reasons and not for health reasons. So it is only a minority of boys that are circumcised anyway.

Different sides of the pond, different cultures, different memes. Over here it is not a minority of boys that are circumsised, it is still fairly common practice. Nor is it mostly "religion based" over here, at the risk of getting a little too personal, I am not Jewish nor is anyone in my lineage back at least 10 generations.

Quote[/b] ]Dobies are quite a popular dog over here in the UK and as has been said ear cropping is illegal over here as will tail docking be soon once the new animal rights laws are introduced. Any dog that has long ears or particularly hairy ears is going to be prone to infection not just Dobies,

Not quite, I have had numerous other dogs in my days and all had ears comparably long to Dobie ears yet none of them were prone to ear infections. I do not know of anyone who has actually done a genetic breed study but I'd be willing to bet good money that the reason is because they are from breeds that were never cropped so they maintained the gene(s) that confer resistance to infection.

Quote[/b] ]but if the owner loves their dog they will make the effort to make sure the dogs ears are kept clean, as you yourself do.

Which is exactly why I personally do not get my dogs ears cropped. She is my dog and I love her despite the fact that she is doofy and pees on the floor as a defense mechanism LOL

Quote[/b] ]I must admit until I saw this thread, ear docking is a practice I did not realised existed anywhere in the world

Yeah, well we are all bass-ackwards here in the States so...

 

[indymental]

lets be honest, tail docking and ear cropping are done purely for fashion. Kennel clubs like Crufts have decided that is the way a particular breed of dog should look and most owners go along with it so the puppies they sell can be considered showclass.

Springer Spaniels and poodles having hairy ears are more prone than Dobies could ever be for getting ear infections, so why are they not routinely cropped? Because it is not the fashion to do so. I know this to be correct having spoken to a veterinary surgeon about it, who tells me Dobies are very low on the list, as dogs that suffer from bad ear infections.

Ear cropping and tail docking are done with scissors and no pain relief, anaesthetic or local are given to the pups who are barely a few days old when it is done. All suffer a great deal of pain from the experience. Those poor Dobie pups were probably tail docked on the same day their ears were cropped, can you imagine how that must have felt?

 

[Jeremiah Harris]

Hello,

I don't know how much you or your veterinary surgeon know about cropping Dobie ears but it definitely never done at just a few days. They are almost always done at 10 to 16 weeks. I know my vet uses anesthetic and a technique involving lazars so there is basically no bleeding and the dog does not even notice it the next morning. It is far less dangerous of an operation the spaying or neutering but nobody has problems with that. I will admit though I did have them cropped for purely cosmetic reason I love that classic sleek look and don't think they look right without it done. I guarantee you that this dobie has the best life of any dog I have ever heard of and probably better then 50% of humans. She has slept in my bed every night since we got her and will for the rest of her life. Someone in our family is nearly always home to watch her. We take here to a leashless dog park 2 to 4 times a week. She goes for daily walks/runs and eats $35 a bag dog food. Our two beagles share 36 different collars and no two are alike, she still wears theirs but as soon as she grows out of them she will have plenty as well.

I don't want to start a fight or anything but it always amazes me that most people could care less that over 4,000 American babies are killed each and everyday though medical procedure but as soon as someone feels an animal is being hurt they are up in arms. But to be honest I really don't think it is my place to tell someone that is wrong it is not my life.

thanks
-Jeremiah-

 

[Kirkscoastalcarnivores]

exactly jeremiah! Looks like you got yourself a greenhouse dog

 

[indymental]

Jeramiah, I don't mean to sound accusing and I have no doubt your dog is very loved and cared for. It shows in your pictures that she is a happy well cared for dog. It does bother me that thousands of babies are killed. I care about any animal  that is defenceless including human children, but the subject right now is dogs and the ethics of ear cropping and tail docking. I also respect the fact that you admit that you had your dobie cropped for cosmetic reasons and don't try to make excuses for health reasons, because quite frankly I cannot believe that cutting parts of an animal off before they have problems is for the animals benefit. The problem is that we are so used to seeing dogs with little stumps for tails, that some breeds now look strange with full sized tails. It would be nice to see things change so that these animals can live full and happy lives with all their extremities intact, there is nothing nicer than see a happy dog wagging its tail not just swinging a mutilated stump from side to side.

As I said earlier, it came as a shock to me that ear cropping is done anywhere as a routine procedure. It has been illegal in the UK for many years, so for us it is quite normal to see a Dobie with floppy ears and cropped ears look strange to us. I hope that the new laws that are soon to come into force will make it normal in the UK to see these dogs with their tails in the future. It is slowly becoming more popular not to get the docking done over here and to see for instance a rottweiler with its tail is quite a treat.

Your Dobie is a lovely looking dog, and no offence is intended to you or anyone else who has a dog that has been cropped. I am sure you will have many happy years together. You may need to get a bigger bed though. My dog is a dobie cross, a bit smaller than the proper breed, but she would happily take over my double bed all by herself if I'd let her.