Dogs should never become status symbols by purchasing the most popular expensive breed; nor should they be kept for selfish reasons as watch dogs. They need reciprocal love, care and respect on par with members of our families.

Tail docking or bobbing involves shortening the natural length of a dog’s tail. It is done either by cutting off the blood supply to the end part of the tail by putting on a rubber ligature for several days, after which the dead end supposedly dries and drops off; or by gruesomely cutting the tail off at the desired juncture. This needless and painful amputation is carried out without anaesthesia almost immediately after a pup is born or before it is a fortnight old. The puppy begins life in pain and the adverse after-effects frequently continue over its entire life.

It is barbaric, unethical and unacceptable to carry out amputation on young, healthy puppies, discarding almost their entire tails for human vanity. Tails are dogs’ rudders, keeping them balanced when moving. Dogs also use their tails for communication–the commonly known happy greeting expressed by wagging, as well as to convey anger, aggression, caution, and other feelings. These are good enough reasons for not chopping their tails off.

Ear-cropping is another alteration which is done to dogs under sedation when they are 6-12 weeks old. It involves incisions beginning at the tops of the ears and finishing close to the head with approximately two-thirds of the ears being amputated. (Some veterinarians feel that the younger they are, the easier it is, and ruthlessly opine the only difference is akin to that between cutting paper and cutting heavy cardboard.) The ears are then sutured and typically, an aluminium frame/brace is taped over the pup’s head to keep its ears upright. Keeping the ears upright is essential. Some advise they be taped for 5 days at a time till they stand up on their own without the help of artificial supports like a brace, swab sticks or Styrofoam cups. Others say the contraption has to remain continuously on for as long as 21 days – three whole weeks beginning with oozing blood, acute pain and discomfort. It is followed by another five weeks or so of continued pain (particularly for those pups whose ears flop even slightly) till the ears are permanently deformed to perceived "perfection."

Animal activists who consider docking tails and cropping ears nothing less than cruel amputation and mutilation of innocent puppies’ bodies have been successful in getting the practices banned in many countries. Sweden was the first to ban tail docking for cosmetic purposes in 1989. Other countries followed suit. In Europe, ear-cropping is illegal, though some countries have made exceptions allowing the docking of tails.

Beauty Without Cruelty hopes it won’t be long before India also bans these two, and other cruel practices perpetrated upon dogs to change their natural beauty and structures. BWC has approached several authorities to ban docking, cropping and de-barking in India. In fact, India is one of the eighteen countries that has not banned the docking of dogs’ tails.

BWC has therefore been continuously requesting the Government of India of ban all dog mutilations – docking tails, cropping ears, de-barking, filing teeth and removing dewclaws.

Although this BWC campaign was taken up around mid-2009, it was in the Spring 2011 issue of Compassionate Friend that readers were asked to “Spread the word…” by informing veterinarians, kennel club officials and pedigreed dog-owners that tail docking/amputating, cropping ears, de-barking and removing dewclaws of dogs carried out for aesthetic reasons was cruel and illegal under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. The Summer 2011 edition then carried two articles with pictures on cropping and docking.

Hence, BWC was pleased when in September 2011, the Chairman of the Animal Welfare Board of India issued an advisory to the Veterinary Council of India, State Veterinary Councils, State Animal Welfare Boards and Kennel Clubs informing them that “the practice of non-therapeutic tail docking and ear cropping is seen in the light of mutilation which amounts to cruelty to animals as per the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960 and is therefore a punishable offence”. It went on to say “to stop this cruel practice with immediate effect failing which strict action against veterinary practitioners that are found guilty of docking tails and ear cropping of pups will be initiated by AWBI”; and the Kennel Clubs were directed “to stop registration of pups/dogs with docked tail and cropped ears, and discontinue participation of such dogs (with docked tails/cropped ears) in dog shows”.

However, this directive resulted in a writ petition being filed in the Madras High Court by the Kennel Club of India. In February 2013 the Judge quashed the notice issued by the Veterinary Council (on the basis of the advisory from the AWBI Chairman) directing all registered veterinarians in the country to stop the surgical procedures. BWC now hopes the judgement will be adequately challenged by the AWBI in the Supreme Court or some other appropriate action is taken by the Government.

Meanwhile, dogs in India whose tails are docked and ears cropped will continue to suffer intensely: the pain endured by every pup that undergoes the actual procedures is but half the cruelty; the other half (actually, more than half) is an entire life time of not being able to express itself through its natural body language. Such sad treatment meted out to man’s best friends.

A natural bobtail is an animal’s tail which due to a mutated gene grows unusually short or is missing completely. It occurs due to a mutation in a gene called the T-box transcription factor T gene (C189G) which accounts for natural bobtails in particular breeds of dogs.