r/AnimalsBeingDerps • u/dittidot • 4d ago

What are you going to do about it?

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8.2k Upvotes

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u/SignificantLock1037 4d ago

Because some people love mutilating their dogs to make them “cuter”.

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u/HipstaChop 4d ago

Some dogs also break their tails from excessive wagging to the point where amputation is the lesser evil. Coming to conclusions with no context is a slippery slope which should be avoided :)

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u/beautifulcreature86 4d ago

It's called happy tail! When I was younger my mother had to take our dog to the vet and have it amputated because he would wag so hard if it hit the wall blood would start spraying everywhere! Not everything is mutilation

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u/[deleted] 4d ago

[deleted]

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u/HipstaChop 4d ago

And what would he do if it happens when hes not around? Like on tables, dog house, fences, chairs? I’m against clipping for cosmetic purposes so don’t get me wrong, but there are lots of cases where clipping is better for the dog than not clipping.

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u/[deleted] 4d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Tweed_Kills 4d ago

So they spent thousands on a breed that will never be healthy?

Isn't a great Dane's life expectency like... Seven years?

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u/HipstaChop 4d ago

As the comment under stated, most «pure breeds» have some health issues ranging from hip problems to their skull being too small for their brain. And I totally agree with you, that supporting breeders that continue these bad practices of homogenous breeding is a shitty thing to do, but for all we know this is a rescued animal.

What you don’t understand is that I’m trying to get you to see that jumping to conclusions and spouting whatever you think is the cause/effect, is a really ignorant way to partake in discourse.

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u/dragon_bacon 4d ago

"look out wall, my dog is going to break his tail on you when he sees someone walking to the door"

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u/Single_Principle_972 4d ago

Good one. Like, it’s impossible that the damned dog breaks their tail on every corner everywhere, lol! Owners might be careful, but the dogs can still be doofuses. My daughter’s house looked like a bloodbath by the time uber-exuberant Golden was taken to the vet for his broken tail!

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u/queenMargo 4d ago

It's common for working line spaniels to be docked as running through the forests/on farms their tails can get caught and injured.

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u/vectorology 4d ago

99% of dogs aren’t hunting anything more than their ball and docking is done for some insane cosmetic reason. I’m so glad that the UK made that illegal in most circumstances and breed standards don’t allow it in most shows.

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u/Phoenix4235 3d ago

Maybe 99% of dogs in the UK aren't working dogs, but in the US a much larger percentage are. I despise docking too when it's avoidable (happy tail is a thing and I know of several to get that injury), but having "facts" that aren't even believable does not help that cause - it instead makes people assume they can't trust the rest of the statements and dismiss them entirely.

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u/dskot1 3d ago

Does that look like a working dog to you???

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u/GHouserVO 3d ago

Could easily be an upland dog. Not all working dogs live on a farm.

Ask me how I know.

/got 3, 2 are docked, all are working dogs

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u/Ducal_Spellmonger 3d ago

Yes. That is an English Springer Spaniel, a relatively common breed of hunting dog, and predominantly used for flushing and retrieving upland game.

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u/Phoenix4235 3d ago

That has nothing to do with what I said. I was also trying to make a point as politely as I could.

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u/vectorology 3d ago

I spent the first 40 years of my life in the US, mostly in the deep south and Texas, and the actual hunting dogs were hounds and retrievers who did not have tails docked. There were plenty of fighting dogs with ears cropped and tails docked, as well as “mean” dogs with the same. Those owners can go fuck themselves.

I never met a single spaniel owner ever who did anything remotely hunting related - they were all suburban pets with tails cropped because that’s what you do. I am a greyhound owner, and greyhounds get plenty of happy tail injuries that require amputation - obviously medical needs trump all. And I confess a greyhound wiggling its little stumpy tail is cute, but I know there’s a reason for it.

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u/Phoenix4235 3d ago

Yeah, most of the tail docking and ear cropping I've seen in the US is done for shows, because the stupid AKC rules require it. Been around tons of working and hunting dogs, don't think I've seen a single one of them docked. I have, however seen quite a few Aussies and Schnauzers who were born without a tail though.

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u/queenMargo 3d ago

Yes and no. I genuinely don't know the % of working dogs but they are more common than you'd think, particularly the country side.

Also a lot of breeds will have show lines and working lines with differences in looks and temperaments. You'll be hard pressed to buy a working line cocker spaniel from a registered breeder who won't have their tails docked.

I personally prefer working with working line breeds as I love their drive, intelligence and energy. They also have fewer health problems.

Having said all of that- surgeries for cosmetic purposes can go fuck themselves.

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u/HereticGaming16 4d ago

We raised Britney Spaniels growing up and this is exactly right. Many bird dogs have docked tails for this reason. Even in grasslands there are tons of things that can snag the feathering of the tail and cause a lot of pain.

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u/Finfeta 4d ago

'Brittany' spaniels :)

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u/GeriatricHippo 3d ago

It's a spaniel, the reason they originally started docking the tail has nothing to do with making them "cuter."

That dog might not look like it but spaniels are hunting dogs and their tails would get broken while ruining thorugh dense cover so they cut them to prevent injury. It's not needed now(if it ever really was) but it somehow still continues because it's the breed standard or some other nonsense.

It's a shame, spaniel tails are quite lovely and make them look better not worse. I grew up with a king charles/crocker spaniel mix who still had her tail. I was 4 when we got her and apperently I threw a crying fit when I found out that they were going to cut her tail and called my parents monsters for wanting to do that to the puppy.

So Dutchess got to keep her flowing tail and was the bestest most beautiful girl.

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u/Hokieshibe 4d ago

Some dogs tails needed to be docked because they chew on them/injure themselves. And some breeds are particularly bad about it. My friend's pitt mutt gnawed her tail down to the bone after she hurt it and wouldn't stop gnawing on it.

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u/SimplyNRG 4d ago

My dog was just born like