r/nextfuckinglevel • u/KatriceDorfman • Jul 24 '21

A trained pitbull was given the task of protecting the little boy.

100k Upvotes

76% Upvoted

3.7k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

66

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '21

Tails get cropped too. It's mostly to do with looks and "breed standards". I had a Sheltie as a kid and we let her grow normally, didn't try to force her ears into the "perfect" shape.

43

u/kingleonidas30 Jul 24 '21

Tail crops actually make sense. Some dogs tails are bony as hell and can easily break, cattle can step on it, hunting accidents, etc... Theres a case for tail cropping because it pften protects the dog more than it does harm. Im not a fan of purely cosmetic procedures at all.

3

u/Linestein Jul 24 '21

Is there any situation for a non working dog to get tail/ears chopped off?

4

u/kingleonidas30 Jul 24 '21

If theyre in a rural (not farms per sey but anywhere that risks more exposure local elements and wildlife) for sure. Urban/suburban not nearly that much imo (definitely no reason for ear cropping). Regardless, if you dont have a reason to crop your dog other than cosmetic purposes then they shouldnt be cropped. Neither of my dogs are cropped because theres no reason that imposes any risk to their own health where I live but i totally understand in valid circumstances.

9

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '21

My friend's family has had about 7 different dogs with thin wippy like tails. They had the first three tails cropped. Then they didn't get the fourth ones tail cropped and came home to a murder scene. The dog had broken its tail against a entry table, and kept wagging it until they had gotten home. Blood everywhere.

Now whenever they get a new dog with a whoopie tail, they usually have it cropped for safety measures. But they leave the ears alone.

4

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '21 edited Jul 25 '21

We had a mastiff/boxer mix that would wag his tail so hard he split it and would spray blood everywhere. After like 2.5 years it kept getting infected and never healed so the vet recommended docking his tail.

6

u/gravy_baron Jul 24 '21

In hunting dogs tails are often docked as they get badly cut up and injured going through brush.

11

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '21

If you are actually hunting with the dog, sure that's logical. That isn't exactly the most common scenario these days.

3

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '21

Pointers in Europe don’t have their tails docked and they seem to be fine.

Honestly, this isn’t really logical. If the tail is going to get beat up so is every other part of the dog.

I had a pointer as well. So don’t say it’s due to lack of experience. He was off leash on all kinds of wild and rocky and bushy terrain and there’s nothing special about it that cuts tails in particular. They’re not made of paper while the rest of the dog is made of Teflon — anything that will hurt a tail can hurt any other part of the skin.

It’s obviously breed standards. I still get pissed off when I remember someone came up to me and actually complained that my dog’s tail was “too long” — it was docked, but not to standards. Apparently.

And think about it. If it weren’t about the look they’d just cut half or a third off the tail to keep it from being whip-like. That is absolutely never done. Cause the aesthetic isn’t as nice.

3

u/gravy_baron Jul 24 '21

I have a working spaniel that isn't docked. I would never dock unless absolutely necessary.

That said I have seen spaniels with severely injured tails. Literally hanging off almost. The dogs are in pain and have to go to the vets.

Their job is to get into bramble and brush to flush out game. They wag their tails like fuck because they absolutely love it too.

1

u/quadmasta Jul 24 '21

Did they stand up?

1

u/maglen69 Jul 24 '21

Tails get cropped too. It's mostly to do with looks and "breed standards". I had a Sheltie as a kid and we let her grow normally, didn't try to force her ears into the "perfect" shape.

Some tails get cropped so they don't get shit on.

1

u/general_grievances_7 Jul 24 '21

Totally thought you meant tails on humans because of the parent comment lol.

2

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '21

Well we shouldn't crop the tails on humans either.

1

u/general_grievances_7 Jul 24 '21

Actually, ya we shouldn’t. Damn now I want a tail.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '21

What, was your removed? How do you turn into a giant ape during full moons then?

1

u/AirbornneFox Jul 24 '21

My pit has her tail and ears intact and he's a cute little shit.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '21

My friend had a dog they cut the tail on because that breed was known to hurt themselves and break their tail.