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Wrong on all accounts.
I love how you say that with such confidence!
Tails are clipped when the pups are only a few days old. It's not any different than circumcisions in human babies. Ears are cut under general anesthesia and is no different that spaying or neutering as far as pain goes.
There are some that say that docking is cruel. So there ya go. It appears it's unethical in the UK.
The UK Legal Position
Tail docking has historically been undertaken largely by dog breeders. However, in 1991, the UK government amended the Veterinary Surgeons Act, thereby prohibiting the docking of dog's tails by lay persons from 1 July 1993. Now, only veterinary surgeons are, by law, allowed to dock.
However, following the Government move, the Council of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in November 1992, ruled docking to be unethical, "unless for therapeutic or acceptable prophylactic reasons". Furthermore, the circumstances in which the Royal College considered prophylactic docking to be acceptable were so hedged with conditions as to make the routine docking of puppies by veterinary surgeons extremely difficult.
Vets who continue to dock risk disciplinary action, including being struck off the professional register.
Tail Docking - The Case for Tail Docking
Excess grooming?? Are you kidding?? Dogs love to be groomed once they become accustomed to it. How often do you comb your hair? How often do you get your hair trimmed?? Are you being cruel to yourself??
It was a guess on my part, but some dogs hate the simple basics of grooming. Add in hair dryers, products, and even freakin' polish for their nails, and it can be overkill. And, no, your analogy does not make sense. I am human, dogs are not.
Also, some dogs are groomed/trimmed in a way that's not functional. Ever wonder how those Sheepdogs see?
People that show dogs are the most responsible breeders out there.
Some are, some aren't. In fact, there are a number of breeds that are in trouble because of bad breeding. Some have legs that are now too short to support them properly (Daschunds), some have craniums that are too small and suffer from neurogical problems (King Charles spaniels) and deformed back legs (German Shepherds).
How serious is the problem?
That depends on the nature of the abnormality: for some breeds, though, their breeding can have appalling consequences. Perhaps the most startling ailment is that suffered by a third of cavalier King Charles spaniels, syringomyelia, which is the result of their brains being too large for their skulls. "The cavalier's brain is like a size ten foot that has been shoved into a size six shoe," says veterinary neurologist Clare Rusbridge. "It is described in humans as one of the most painful conditions you can have, a piston-type headache... If you took a stick and beat a dog to create that pain, you'd be prosecuted. But there's nothing to stop you breeding a dog with it."
Many other breeds suffer similar problems: golden retrievers are prone to cancer, while boxers often suffer from heart disease and epilepsy. The Kennel Club claims that 90 per cent of the British canine population is healthy, and that these kinds of genetic diseases are actually more common in humans than dogs. But there are concerns that the problem will get worse, as an increasingly concentrated gene pool makes the abnormalities even more likely to be passed on.
The Big Question: Is the breeding of pedigree dogs leading to cruel abnormalities? - This Britain, UK - The Independent
Here's a list of dogs in which bad breeding practices have changed certain breeds for the worse. And yes, to the point where it can be considered cruel.
Pedigree dogs: How breeding has changed them | UK news | guardian.co.uk
Most breed a very few selective litters. If the puppies are not show quality, they are typically sold cheaply as pets with the requirement that they be spayed/neutered.
Yes, that does happen. I wonder if they all find good homes.
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