Click to visit the New Zealand Council of Docked Breeds website

A massive blow has been struck against the ability for breeders to ensure the health and welfare of our canine friends. The private members bill attempting to ban the docking of puppies tails was drawn from the ballot box a private members bill introduced by a person who appears to not own a dog or have any involvement with dogs! This bill plays on the emotions of the ignorant and promotes the political ambitions of several groups what it fails to do is care for the welfare of our dogs!

Anti docking groups use emotive language to make an easy procedure sound painful and callous. They talk about chopping off tails, mutilation, agony; they have been known to show posters of adult dogs with bloody stumps and tails lying on the ground behind them. The reality is that correct docking is a painless, low stress procedure done at just 2 or 3 days old before the nervous system has developed. The reality is that breeders are not monsters reveling in the pain of their newborn pups, but loving caring people attempting to give their pups the very best start in life. The reality is that some breeds do suffer serious problems from full-length tails and a simple procedure at a few days old can prevent this happening!

We vaccinate to prevent diseases in people and animals this causes momentary discomfort but offers a better chance at a healthier future. That is also the basis of tail docking. Dogs do damage their tails in the bush, scrub, bracken. Some dogs have good coat covering, others have a great layer of fat and flesh, but there are breeds out there without this protection. Otherwise wonderful dogs can be brought low with tail damage and when it happens to an adult it IS painful, hard to remedy and involves major surgery if amputation is needed. SOME Vets suggest that tail docking is done for purely cosmetic reasons. The NZVA makes it sound as if all vets are opposed to docking - this is not the case! Many of those who live in our rural communities know better. They see the results of a hunting dog (or even a pet taken for an outing) after a day in the bush.

There are stories of pups in pain with docking; there are a myriad of litters docked without pain. If our doctors or dentists carried out a procedure and caused us pain we would not look at banning the medical and dental procedures we would search out a better practitioner who knows the patient should not suffer. This is the case with docking. It IS a procedure that can be carried out painlessly therefore those causing pain are doing it incorrectly. We should not ban the procedure because some people are inept we should train them to do it correctly!

Tail docking is an emotive issue for many they see cute pups and hear stories of mutilation for purely cosmetic reasons. Tail docking is not mutilation; it is not done for cosmetic reasons. Tail docking is done by caring, educated breeders as a preventative protocol to help promote a healthy, happy life for the pups they breed!

We would love you to contact us for discussion and visit some web sites that may help you see the benefits of tail docking.

http://www.nzkc.org.nz/taildocking.html
http://www.trader.co.nz/nzcdb/nzcdb.htm
http://www.vets4docking.org.uk/statement.htm
http://www.cbd.org/sweden.htm
http://www.cdb.org
http://www.dogbody.com

The council of Docked breed has been reinstated. We need your support. We need your ideas and your input. If YOU own/show/breed a docked breed and you wish to continue to have freedom of choice to dock then now is the time to speak up.

Persons to contact in the first instance are:

Brenda Wilkin
Margaret Cotton
Jenny Peacock
The South Island Boxer Club Committee

contact your MP insist on your freedom of choice

The purebred dog community is a large, concerned constituency whose activities have a significant economic impact

"We are a responsible, valuable resource, and our voices should be heard."

Press Release from the New Zealand Kennel Club - 5th August 2004

The New Zealand Kennel Club continues to strongly support Freedom of Choice for dog owners over the issue of Tail Docking.

With the Animal Welfare (Restriction on Docking of Dogs' Tails) Bill being drawn out of the Parliamentary ballot today, President of the New Zealand Kennel Club, Ray Greer, is hoping that Members of Parliament will not be swept away in the tide of emotion that has been generated by Dianne Yates' Members Bill.

The New Zealand Kennel Club maintains that when the correct procedures are followed for tail docking, cruelty has never been proven. We adhere to this view despite the emotive cries from animal welfare organizations.

"The issue is that while tail docking is legal, the procedures can be carried out in a safe environment and by people who have had proper training. Make tail docking illegal and that is when we open up the possibility of inhumane procedures carried out by untrained owners,” says Ray Greer, President of the New Zealand Kennel Club.

He continues, "The reasons for supporting tail docking are many, and vary depending upon the individual breeds.

"It should be noted that we do not promote tail docking in all breeds. It must be understood that tail docking is not carried out for cosmetic reasons but rather is performed in breeds where having a tail becomes a safety or hygiene issue.

"Tail injuries amongst active hunting dogs can only be described as horrific. Tail docking is a humane way of managing such risks and therefore it is in the best interest of the dog to allow it. To make tail docking illegal is not the answer, in fact doing so will only exacerbate the cruelty aspect that we are all trying to prevent. Let tail docking remain legal so that it can continue to be performed in a safe and educated environment! " concludes Ray Greer.

An example of a 'Letter to The Editor'

If you have feelings regarding the Tail Docking Ban or if you own a breed that will be affected
this is one way to show your support opposing the bill:

Regarding the Bill to Ban Tail Docking in Dogs

Procedures carried out by breeders and dog owners by choice for improvement/quality of life and for prevention of disease, illness and damage.

1. TAIL DOCKING - performed either by banding (by knowledgeable breeders) or by surgical procedure (by Veterinarian) at 2 to 3 days of age, before a puppies nervous system is developed, causing minimal discomfort to the puppy. Preferred by most breeders to full amputation in an older dog when damage occurs. Usually tail docking is chosen for breeds that have very little protection to their lower tails by way of thick, long coat, fatter covered tail usually sported by breeds such as Saint Bernards, Newfoundlands, German Shephards, and Golden Retreivers. Gundogs and short-coated dogs are mainly affected by lack of natural protection to tails.
2. SPEYING - performed by surgical procedure by Veterinarians requiring anesthetic, usually done as a preventive measure i.e. unwanted litters of puppies, medical conditions such as pyometra and endometriosis. This 'altering' surgery is 'encouraged' by SPCA, NZVA and Local Government Bodies and is much more invasive than Tail Docking and requires a 2 week recovery period.
3. NEUTERING - males, also performed by Veterinarians as a Surgical Procedure usually performed in male dogs over 6 months of age. Recovery time is less than female spey but still involves far more discomfort than puppy tail docking. This 'altering' procedure is also 'encouraged' by NZVA, SPCA and Local Government Bodies for prevention of unwanted litters, testicular cancer, aggression moderator etc.
4. VACCINATIONS - Injection administered by Veterinarians - incidentally in most cases causing more discomfort than Tail Docking - to prevent disease and illness in our dogs. Vaccinations are 'strongly encouraged and promoted' by NZVA and SPCA.
5. MICROCHIPPING - The injecting of a 'foreign body' into our dogs. This is currently performed by Veterinarians and will be 'required by law' very soon. Possibly causing more discomfort than Tail Docking in 2 - 3 day old whelps. This has been strongly supported by our NZVA's and Government.

Lets get TAIL DOCKING into perspective. This is a choice by breeders to prevent pain and injury in our dogs, obviously not all docked puppies would have otherwise had injury to their tails just as not all speyed/neutered dogs would have produced puppies or not all vaccinated dogs would have succumbed to disease, these are all preventative measures - end of story!

If a Tail Docking Ban is supported then in essence surely all of the above must be considered for banning too.

Regards
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