Why do people still clip dog ears?

RSPCA

Índice Show

What exactly is dog ear cropping?
Traditional cropping
Examples of cropping styles
Legal status by country

Dog ear cropping — a painful procedure where ears are surgically altered to make dogs look more intimidating or follow a trend — carries no welfare benefits. Described by animal charities as "mutilation" and "barbaric," the RSPCA has seen reports of ear cropping surge by more than 600% in the past six years.

Ear cropping is illegal in England and Wales under the Animal Welfare Act unless it is carried out for medical reasons. However, many Brits are buying dogs with cropped ears from other countries, where the procedure remains legal, and having them imported.

"Dogs should never be mutilated for cosmetic purposes and ear cropping can actually be detrimental to their health, behaviour and welfare," RSPCA inspector Herchy Boal told the BBC. "We'd urge people never to buy a dog with cropped ears and to report any concerns about ear cropping to the RSPCA."

RSPCA

What exactly is dog ear cropping?

Cropping, or docking, is where a dog's ear lobes are cut away on breeds such as Mastiffs, Dobermanns and American Bull Dogs. Sadly, some people believe certain breeds should have their ears surgically altered or even completely removed. As well as being a painful process, it has no benefits and is completely unnecessary.

According to the RSPCA, cropped ears have become "glamorised" due to an increase in celebrities owning cropped dogs. In fact, the charity found that cropped dogs are even being used on items of clothing, as well as in advertising.

In May this year, one man was jailed after admitting he had paid £3,000 to someone he didn't know to crop the ears of a litter of nine puppies. After responding to a complaint made by a member of public, an RSPCA Inspector found the puppies with red, crusty, unhealed ears.

"Ear cropping is a painful process which is carried out purely for cosmetic reasons and is often done to make a dog look more intimidating," Dr Samantha Gaines, RSPCA dog welfare expert, said. "It can, however, have lifelong implications on the dog's health and behaviour.

"Dogs can suffer from infected wounds as well as chronic ear infections, while some may remain incredibly sensitive and head shy for their whole lives. Dogs use their ears to communicate with other dogs and with humans and some cropped dogs coming into our care have demonstrated behavioural problems caused by an inability to do this normally."

In some good news, the government recently announced plans to ban the import of dogs with cropped ears — a move that has been welcomed by the RSPCA. If you want to make a difference, you can sign the petition to stop the rising number of ear-cropped dogs in the UK.

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Boxers, showing natural and cropped ears

A Doberman Pinscher puppy with its ears taped to train them into the desired shape and carriage after cropping

In 2000, veterinarian Bruce Fogle wrote:

[D]ogs have their ears partly amputated—'cropped' is the benign word people like to use—for no other reason than to make them look fierce. This is primarily a German tradition, born out of the military origins and uses of breeds like Great Danes, Boxers, Doberman Pinschers, and Schnauzers. This mutilation—I am sorry to be so blunt, but that is what cropping is—is banned in its country of origin, and in most other FCI countries. North America remains the only significant region in the world where ear and tail amputations are still routinely performed. There is no medical or work-related justification for these procedures to be performed on pet dogs. Many dedicated, dog-loving veterinarians will no longer carry out these alterations.[3]

Traditional cropping

Historically, cropping was performed on working dogs in order to decrease the risk of health complications, such as ear infections or hematomas. Crops were also performed on dogs that might need to fight, either while hunting animals that might fight back or while defending livestock herds from predators, or because they were used for pit-fighting sports such as dog fighting or bear-baiting.[4][5] The ears were an easy target for an opposing animal to grab or tear.[4]

Cropping the ears of livestock guardian dogs was, and may still be, traditional in some pastoral cultures. The ears of working flock-defense dogs such as the Caucasian Shepherd Dog (Kavkazskaïa Ovtcharka)[6] and the Pastore Maremmano-Abruzzese were traditionally cropped to reduce the possibility of wolves or opponent-dogs getting a grip on them.[7]

According to one description, cropping was carried out when puppies were weaned, at about six weeks. It was performed by an older or expert shepherd, using the ordinary blade shears used for shearing, well sharpened. The ears were cut either to a point like those of a fox, or rounded like those of a bear. The removed auricles were first grilled[8] given to the puppy to eat, in the belief that it would make him more "sour".[7] An alternative method was to remove the ears from newborn puppies by twisting them off; however, this left almost no external ear on the dog.[7] Both ear-cropping and the use of spiked collars were described more than three hundred years ago, as a defense against wolves.[9]

Dogs may have their ears cropped, legally or not, for participation in dogfights, themselves illegal in many jurisdictions.[10][11]

The veterinary procedure is known as "cosmetic otoplasty",[1] and involves the removal of a portion of the pinnae, the external flap of the ear. Cropping is usually performed on puppies at 7 to 12 weeks of age.[12] After 16 weeks, the procedure is more painful and the animal has greater pain memory.[4] Usually up to 2⁄3 of the ear flap is removed in a cropping operation, and the wound edges are closed with stitches. The ears are then bandaged. Long crops are taped until they heal into the proper shape.[12] The procedure is recommended to be undertaken under general anaesthesia; opponents' primary concerns revolve around post-operative pain.[13]

American veterinary schools do not generally teach cropping (or docking), and thus veterinarians who perform the practice have to learn on the job. There are also problems with amateurs performing ear-cropping, particularly at puppy mills.[14]

In the last 100 years or so, ear cropping has been performed more often for cosmetic purposes.[5][15] In nations and states where it remains legal, it is usually practiced because it is required as part of a breed standard for exhibition at dog shows.[15] In the US, although tail-docking, dewclaw removal, and neutering procedures remain common, ear-cropping is declining, except within the dog show industry.[15] Some show ring competitors state they would discontinue the practice altogether if they could still "win in the ring."[16]

Examples of cropping styles

Long ear crop on a Great Dane
Long ear crop on a Doberman
Medium crop on an American Staffordshire Terrier
Short crop on a Neapolitan Mastiff
Rounded crop on a Saint Miguel Cattle Dog

The practice is illegal across most of Europe, including all countries that have ratified the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals, and most member countries of the Fédération Cynologique Internationale.[3] It is illegal in regions of Spain and in some Canadian provinces.[15] The situation in Italy is unclear; the ban effective 14 January 2007 may no longer be in force.[17]

Ear-cropping is still widely practiced in the United States and parts of Canada, with approximately 130,000 puppies in the United States thought to have their ears cropped each year.[18] The American Kennel Club (AKC) and Canadian Kennel Club both permit the practice.[15] The AKC position is that ear cropping and tail docking are "acceptable practices integral to defining and preserving breed character and/or enhancing good health."[19] While some individual states have attempted to ban ear-cropping,[20] there is strong opposition from some dog breed organizations, who cite health concerns and tradition.[21]

The American Veterinary Medical Association "opposes ear cropping and tail docking of dogs when done solely for cosmetic purposes" and "encourages the elimination of ear cropping and tail docking from breed standards".[22]

In 2009, veterinary chain Banfield Pet Hospital announced they would no longer do tail docking, ear cropping or devocalization on dogs.[16]

While it has been suggested the cropping may interfere with a dog's ability to communicate using ear signals, some also argue that cropping increases a dog's ability to communicate with ear signals. There has been no scientific comparative study of ear communication in cropped and uncropped dogs.[23]

Legal status by country

Country	Status	Ban/restriction date (if applicable)
Australia	Banned [24]
Austria	Banned[25]	1 January 2005
Belgium	Banned[25]	1 January 2006
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Banned, except tail-docking[26]
Brazil	Banned for cosmetic purposes[25]
Bulgaria	Banned[27]	1 February 2005
Canada	Canada has no federal law banning pet cosmetic surgery. The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association opposes all cosmetic alterations.[28] Two provinces have provincial legislation prohibiting ear cropping, tail docking, and most cosmetic surgeries: Prince Edward Island (☨1)[29] and Newfoundland and Labrador (☨2). Three provinces' veterinary associations ban all veterinarians from performing cosmetic surgeries on pets: New Brunswick (☨3),[25] Nova Scotia (☨4),[30] and Quebec[31] (☨5) Three provincial veterinary associations have bans on ear cropping alone: Manitoba (☨6),[32] British Columbia (☨7),[33][34] and Saskatchewan (☨8).[35]	☨1: 10 July 2015 ☨2: 1978 ☨3: 15 October 2008 ☨4: 1 April 2010 ☨5: 1 January 2017 ☨6: 3 February 2012 ☨7: 2015 ☨8: 2013
Croatia	Banned[25]	2007[36]
Cyprus	Banned[25]	1993
Czech Republic	Banned[27]	1 April 1999
Denmark	Banned[24]	1 June 1996
England	Banned[37]	1899
Estonia	Banned[25]	2001
Finland	Banned[38]	1 July 1996
France	Banned, except tail-docking[39]	1 January 2010
Germany	Banned[27]	1 May 1992
Greece	Banned[25]	27 February 1992
Hungary	Banned[25]
Iceland	Banned[25]	2001
India	Previously restricted, currently unrestricted [40]
Ireland	Banned[citation needed]
Israel	Banned[41]	2000
Italy	Banned[27]	1 November 2011
Latvia	Banned[25]
Lithuania	Banned[25]
Luxembourg	Banned[27]	1 May 1992
Netherlands	Banned[25]	1 September 2001
New Zealand	Banned[24]	2004
Northern Ireland	Banned[25]	2011
Norway	Banned[24]	1954
Poland	Banned[25]	1997
Portugal	Banned[27]	1 January 1994
Romania	Banned[25]	2008
Russia	Restricted[citation needed]
Scotland	Banned[25][37]	1899
Serbia	Banned[42]	2019
Slovakia	Banned[25]	1 January 2003
Slovenia	Banned[43]	April 2007
South Africa	Banned[25]	June 2008
Spain	Banned in autonomies of Catalonia and Andalucia[25]
Sweden	Banned[44]	1989
Switzerland[25]	Banned	1997
Turkey	Banned[45]	2004
United States	Unrestricted (some states, including New York[20] and Vermont, have considered bills to make the practice illegal)	2003
Virgin Islands	Banned[25]	2005
Wales	Banned[25][37]	1899

Cropping of large portions of the pinnae of other animals is rare, although the clipping of identifying shapes in the pinnae of livestock, called earmarks, was common prior to the introduction of compulsory ear tags.[46] Removal of portions of the ear of laboratory mice or neutered feral cats for identification, i.e. ear-notching or ear-tipping, is still used.[47] The practice of cropping for cosmetic purposes is rare in non-canines, although some selectively bred animals have naturally small ears which can be mistaken for cropping.[note 1]

Docking (dog tails)
Overview of discretionary invasive procedures on animals
Ear shaping (human ears)

^ Some animals, such as the Lamancha goat, have ears which are naturally small as the result of selective breeding, and some people mistakenly believe their ears to be cropped.[48][49] In other animals, small ears may result from a genetic mutation or the emergence of a genetically recessive trait, such as in Highland cattle, where the appearance of small ears, appearing to have their pinnae cropped, is viewed as a defect.[50]

^ a b Slatter, Douglas H. (2002) Textbook of small animal surgery 3rd edition. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders (imprint of Elsevier Health Sciences), 2896 pages, ISBN 978-0-7216-8607-3, p.1746
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^ MacDonell, Anne (1907). In the Abruzzi. Atkinson, Amy (illustrator). New York, NY: F.A. Stokes. p. 18.
^ de la Fontaine, Jean (1862) [1678]. "Fable 9". The Fables of la Fontaine. Translated by Wright, Elizur (English ed.). London, UK: Miller. Book X p 74. translated in verse from the French
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^ Robert, Thayer Sataloff; Sataloff, Joseph (2006). Occupational Hearing Loss (3rd ed.). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. p. 590. ISBN 9781420015478.
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^ https://www.avma.org/KB/Resources/LiteratureReviews/Documents/dogs_ear_cropping_bgnd.pdf[bare URL PDF]
^ Broughton, Amy L (2003). "Cropping and Docking: A Discussion of the Controversy and the Role of Law in Preventing Unnecessary Cosmetic Surgery on Dogs | Animal Legal & Historical Center". Michigan State University College of Law.
^ a b c d e Ear cropping and tail docking Archived 2011-09-09 at the Wayback Machine The Canadian Federation of Humane Societies/Fédération des sociétés canadiennes d'assistance aux animaux (CFHS/FSCAA). Accessed September 2011.
^ a b Weise, Elizabeth (30 July 2011). "Banfield pet hospitals ban tail docking, ear cropping on dogs". USA Today. Archived from the original on 26 October 2012.
^ Cani pericolosi, l'ordinanza della Turco "Stop al taglio di orecchie e coda" (in Italian) La Repubblica, 15 January 2007. Accessed September 2011. "Dangerous dogs, the ordinance of Turco: 'stop the cutting of ears and tails' "
^ "Cropping and Docking: A Discussion of the Controversy and the Role of Law in Preventing Unnecessary Cosmetic Surgery on Dogs". Animallaw.info. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
^ Ear Cropping, Tail Docking and Dewclaw Removal Archived 2011-09-03 at the Wayback Machine American Kennel Club Canine Legislation Position Statements
^ a b "New Call to Action for Amended NY State Crop/Dock Bill". American Kennel Club. 9 June 2006. Archived from the original on 18 June 2006. Retrieved 31 December 2007.
^ Abraham, S. (1993). "Sad lesson learned" (PDF). American Kennel Club Gazette, American Boxer Club. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
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^ Coren, Stanley (2001) How to speak dog: mastering the art of dog-human communication New York: Simon & Schuster ISBN 978-0-7432-0297-8 chap. 9 [pages unnumbered]
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