Tail Docking

This is Apollo. He is a happy boy because he got to keep his tail. I know there is a lot of opinion about heelers and if they should have a tail or not. Ever since we decided to find a stud for Saydee I have been looking into this issue. Does it really prevent as much injury as tail docking proponents claim? Is there a health benefit or is it purely cosmetic? Is it needed if a dog is just going to be a family pet? I quickly learned that tail docking of dogs without documents proving their working dog status is illegal in the UK and AUS. I found this very interesting. When the day of the vet appointment arrived I had 3 puppies with deposits. 2 of the owners wanted docked tails and 1 wanted to keep his boy intact. I have been weighing the puppies everyday and I wondered if there would be any pattern disturbances after the docking. 

Let me make something clear. I'm not judging anyone for their tail preference. I myself have a docked ACD. I grew up with a docked heeler and we docked her puppies. It wasn't until I was faced with the decision for these puppies that I really looked into the subject. As I've gotten older I've started doing that a lot. I hate doing things just because its the way it's done. I like to look into things and form my own opinions. 

2 days after the vet appointment the puppy who got to keep his tail, (the 2nd largest puppy on that day) gained 10 oz in 2 days!!! He is now the heaviest puppy by 3 oz. My best guess is the other puppies were stressed by their operations and didn't eat as well as he did. I will continue to monitor him along with the other puppies and see how things go. All the puppies received a clean bill of health at their appointment. I will continue to chart their growth and milestones. It will be interesting to see how things go. 

The point of this post isn't to shame people who dock their puppies, but to rather spark thought, study and discussion. Why do you like or dislike a docked tail? Is your dog going to be a working dog or a family dog? Is it right to remove something just because we feel like it looks better? I'm still considering all the pros and cons. 

On a final note for this post:

I had a call this morning for 2 females. I missed out on a sale to a great home because they were docked. This is interesting to me because this whole time I've been thinking the opposite. That if I left them intact they would possibly be passed up.

 Maybe people are coming around.