4Paws

I'm a reporter in a rural county in North Carolina. Today I was covering an event at which a pit bull breeder brought their dogs and pamphlets about ending dog fighting and ending animal cruelty, etc. I was taking pictures of what I thought were pretty pitts, when I noticed their mature female ( who I'm sure has had several litters) had crusty ears. When I asked the breeder about it, she said they had been freshly cropped for a show. She showed her dogs in ABKC rings, which I hadn't heard of and she explained that AKC does not recognize the breed.
It seems cruel to me to crop, alter or mutilate an adult dog in such a way, but I guess I probably don't know anything about the process. We alter our own bodies and those of our dogs through neutering and such but are those pitts asleep when those ears are cropped? If not, then I think there is something wrong with that. That's my opinion. I don't plan to add this to my article, I just wanted to see what yall thought about it. I have been quick to judge at times, but I don't mind being educated and corrected. I'd like to know what you think.

fjm

Cropping is banned in England (and I believe most of Europe) for both puppies and adults. I find it very hard to comprehend how someone who supposedly loves their dogs can put an adult dog through a very painful and completely unnecessary procedure for their own vanity.

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To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden,
where doing nothing was not boring- it was peace.

~ Milan Kundera

Countryboy

From their site:

"The A.B.K.C. is now a multi breed registry specializing in Bully breeds."

I'm not surprised that I've never heard of it either. lol

I'm just guessin' that Poodles wouldn't qualify, eh?

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4Paws

Agreed, I couldn't do that to any animal. Polo has his tail cropped, but when he was very young and they did a good job. What I can't understand is how someone can pass out information that reads "end animal cruelty" but will put their dog through that kind of mutilation. I felt really bad for those dogs, they seemed very sweet.

4Paws

Ha, probably not. My dog's not much of a bully.

Fluffyspoos

Although I'd prefer to always own dogs that have had their dewclaws removed at birth, I wouldn't remove them from an adult dog myself. I also wouldn't crop ears or dock the tail of any adult dog (or puppy) I'd own.

Though in this situation, if they were trying to show akc, that's the only way they can show akc unfortunately. In order for cropping/docking to stop, the akc has to accept both varieties and not be biased.

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4Paws

I don't mind the cropping for akc, because it takes place when the dogs are puppies, very young. But how does the confirmation community react to an adult dog with freshly cropped ears that has had this done so she could be shown? I mean, I guess they might wait until the ears have healed, but would anyone be able to tell? And if so, is that ok?

grab

The clinic I work at doesn't crop (they will do tails and dews though), but we do have a Doberman client who shows in conformation, whose pup had to have his ears redone at 8 months as the first crop wouldn't stand. He seemed jolly when we saw him afterward (ears still being posted at that point)

Cropping is done under anesthesia when it is done reputably.

catsaqqara

Before really knowing about it I thought dogs were cropped when their tails were done, that young and it doesn't really matter though we'll never really know. At 8 weeks its surgery and in my opinion no different than an older dog getting the same surgery. The recovery time is longer but they recover, adapt and forget about it like a puppy would.
But I have heard of phantom pain when older dogs had to have their tails amputated, what about ears. I would think its possible to have phantom pain no matter whats been amputated but I don't know much about phantom pain, maybe it only occurs when there is trauma leading to the amputation? This would be my only concern about it. That's of course if its done while they're under, I would hope that's the norm, otherwise its clearly animal abuse.

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_____Bambi____________________Jaden____________

4Paws

Thank you, that's what I wanted to know. I was worried the cropping took place when the dog was awake. That makes me feel a little better about it.