To Cut or Not To Cut

Every so often the conversation and argument for and against cropping a dog’s tail and/or ears comes up. Not so long ago, in one such discussion, a man who has reared Pit Bulls for years and cropped all of their ears, said that there was nothing wrong with it – “people have plastic surgery all the time”, he said. Well, I am not too sure that one should make canine decisions based on human practice, but just for the sake of this argument, let’s go with that particular trend of reasoning.

Yes, people have plastic surgery all the time. They have it for physical medical reasons: breast reduction, scar tissue removal, skin grafting. And this is absolutely right and to be encouraged. I would do the same for any dog of mine having a physical medical problem. They also have it for emotional problems and there is no doubt that if (for example) you have a nose that is way too large for your face, or excess fat that makes it impossible for you to appear in a bathing suit on the beach, you would be much happier and self confident if you had the problem fixed and so you should. But if you have a perfectly reasonable size 36B bra size and you increase this to a 40DD, then your problem is too big (no pun intended) for surgery to fix, and I really can’t say that I would condone the decision to go under the knife.

But what physical or emotional problem does cropping a dog’s ears cure? Do you think the dog cares what it looks like? Or is it done simply to give the dog a certain look that in its owner’s eyes, makes it better looking, or more ferocious looking, or more symmetrically structured?




Two majestic Dobermans with their natural ears

I once wondered in a discussion whether cropping a dog’s tail or ears would not hinder its ability to communicate, either with humans or with other animals. After all, the position of ears and tail mean something – most humans don’t have a clue what that something would be, but other dogs certainly do. If they see a dog with its tail and ears erect – they know that dog is not harbouring warm, fuzzy feelings towards it. If they see a dog with its tail at half mast, gently waving, they can be fairly certain that the dog wants to make friends. And a dog’s hearing is super-sensitive – hundreds of times keener than ours. Wouldn’t it hurt, I wondered, to have his hearing apparatus totally exposed to the noise, with no way to cover or muffle the sounds? No, I was told with authority from people who have cropped tail/eared dogs – it makes no difference to the dog. But how do they really know that for a fact? Certainly, the dog didn’t tell them and I doubt very much they made a scientific study over a period of months or years of cropped and un-cropped dogs.

Somebody in that discussion said confidently that dogs are excellent adjusters and that they soon get used to the situation. Is this really what we want – for our dog to adjust to a less than optimal situation? My brother in law lost her right arm at a young age – and yes, he has adjusted wonderfully. But I am sure he will tell you that he would find it a lot more preferable to have both his hands every time he has to tie his shoelaces or buckle his belt.

A Doberman with cropped ears. How is this better?

The other day at the vet's office, I was discussing this subject with a gentleman who felt strongly that it should be illegal to crop or bob an aniamal's ears and tail.  He said that the argument he had heard most often from breeders and owners was that they cut their dogs' ears to prevent them getting ear infections. I don't even know how to answer that.  It is like saying that parents should have their children's teeth removed to prevent them from getting cavities. 

A Rottweiler with bobbed tail. I think he looks unbalanced

People believe what they want to believe. They believe what prevents them from worrying, what fits in with their own pre-conceived life view. It is how for hundreds of years people believed that binding the feet of Chinese baby girls and thus forcing them to grow in a U would make the child more attractive. It is how people in Burma believe that inserting an increasing succession of rings on a baby girl’s neck and thus elongating her neck to giraffe like proportions (to the point that her un-ringed neck can not support her head) would improve her looks. It is how people in certain countries in Africa and the Middle and Far East still believe that all girl children should be subjected to genital mutilation, although they call it circumcision.

As an aside, I can’t think of one instance that these types of changes are made to a male child as an general accepted custom, unless you consider circumcision in that category. The boys seem to go in more for scarring and tattooing when they get older, and even that has less to do with appearance and more to do with seeming stronger and fiercer, and it is done by individual choice, not custom. Perhaps somebody should make a study for the reason for this – perhaps somebody already has – why are females and animals both altered with impunity in an effort to make them more attractive?




A Rottweiler with his tail in tact

I don’t think that cropping the ears or tail of Boxers, Dobermans, Pit Bulls or any other breed improves their looks. I would do it in a heart beat if it was medically recommended, but not for cosmetic reasons. I consider the cropping of a dog’s tail or ears to be mutilation and the height of human folly and conceit. In some countries it is illegal. I wish this level of kindness and respect existed in all countries, especially the one I live in.