# Spanish Congress approves European ban on docking dogs’ tails



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Treatment of animals in Spain: Spanish Congress approves European ban on docking dogsâ€™ tails | In English | EL PAÃ�S



> Spanish lawmakers have approved a ban on docking dog’s tails, ratifying a 1987 European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals, which forbids surgical procedures modifying the appearance of pets for non-medical reasons. On Thursday, Congress voted to ratify Spain’s adherence to the convention, which also bans cropping ears, cutting vocal chords, and removing claws and teeth.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

xabiachica said:


> Treatment of animals in Spain: Spanish Congress approves European ban on docking dogs’ tails | In English | EL PAÍS


Good!


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Some places (inc Madrid I think) have banned displaying live animals in pet shop windows too.

Animal welfare in Spain has come a long way in the past ten years.


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

If you hunt rabbits using Jack Russel's a nipped tail is essential, makes it much easier to pull the dog from the warren...could you still nip a hunting dog?


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

bob_bob said:


> If you hunt rabbits using Jack Russel's a nipped tail is essential, makes it much easier to pull the dog from the warren...could you still nip a hunting dog?


Not according to the article.


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

All our three Spanish dogs Fraggle (R.I.P.), Mouse and Button have docked tails. 

Although I don't condone the practice and fully approve of the ban, I sort of like the way they look. 

Why was it done? Just for looks or is there another reason?:noidea:


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Alcalaina said:


> Some places (inc Madrid I think) have banned displaying live animals in pet shop windows too.
> 
> Animal welfare in Spain has come a long way in the past ten years.


We don't have that in Andalucia now either (at least I haven't seen any for a few years now). I used to hate seeing puppies, especially, cooped up in small cages with idiots banging on shop windows to wind them up.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

bob_bob said:


> If you hunt rabbits using Jack Russel's a nipped tail is essential, makes it much easier to pull the dog from the warren...could you still nip a hunting dog?


Struggling to see how it can be easier to pull a dog out of a warren if there's nothing to get hold of.  Do you dock ferrets as well?


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

jimenato said:


> All our three Spanish dogs Fraggle (R.I.P.), Mouse and Button have docked tails.
> 
> Although I don't condone the practice and fully approve of the ban, I sort of like the way they look.
> 
> Why was it done? Just for looks or is there another reason?:noidea:


According to the Docked Tail Fan Club:



> A number of working gundog breeds have to hunt game through heavy vegetation and thick brambles, where their fast tail action can easily lead to torn and bleeding tails which are painful and extremely difficult to treat. Docking the end of the tail eliminates the risk of injury.
> 
> Working terriers are docked for the same reason. In addition, terriers which are bred to hunt below ground for purposes such as fox control, have their tails docked to a length which is more practical when working in a confined space.


Tail docking - the case for tail docking


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

I see that it will be also illegal to cut dogs' vocal cords to stop them barking. I had no idea this was possible, let alone common practice, until the other day when I asked a neighbour whether she had got rid of her dogs because I hadn't heard them barking for ages. But no, she had a denuncia from another neighbour so they had "the snip" (and I'm not talking about a vasectomy here).

If you don't want a pet that barks or scratches the furniture, get a snake ...


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Talk about thinking backwards.
If a dog's tail can get caught in vegetation and the dog can get injured I would put forward the suggestion that that dog shouldn't be out hunting,or at the very least not in that type of landscape, not that its tail should be cut off.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Since seeing this I've been looking at the hunting-type dogs in our village - mainly podencos, bodegueros, those cute little black miniature pinschers - and they have ALL been docked. Only the galgos have tails. Breeding them is big business here as it's prime hunting territory. I wonder if anyone will take any notice of the new law?


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## LDN2ESP (Jul 24, 2015)

Checked out a mad looking dog yesterday which had its ears trimmed [cut] and bandaged up using cotton wool stalks or even tampons! Is that legal?

With regard to docking, I have a German Pointer, he has a docked tail which was done in the UK under DEFRA rules for working dogs. Does that apply here [Spain] by any chance? Docking is warranted when you have a hunting dog as their tails get ripped to shreds whilst working. I know that people will say that is still cruel, but the UK government sanction it, so I guess that might be the case in Spain as hunting is far more wide spread? For the record, the only animals my Pointer has hunted are squirrels ... Woof.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

There's no exception for working or hunting dogs. 

A vet can do it if they consider it to be _medically_ necessary though.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Our rescue Cana Corso Xena had her tail docked, presumably by the German breeder here in Spain who used her as a puppy machine.
We have had dogs at our perrera with docked tails and ears, something that imo is unnecessary and cruel although I'm guessing (hoping) the procedure has been done under anaesthetic.
I'm pleased that such a ban has been passed. If humans want to mutilate themselves with cosmetic surgery that's their choice. Nobody asked our Xena if she wanted her tail chopped off.


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## Dionysus (Jan 4, 2016)

*Hmmm...*

One could argue that spaying, or neutering a pet is as bad, or not any worse than docking, or debarking. Whatever your reason is against one thing, a reason can be made for the same thing. Maybe just leaving them alone is best.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Just leaviing them alone and not spaying or neutering them is definitely not the best idea, IMO. This afternoon, for about the hundredth time since I've lived here, I had to say no to a group of kids who'd been sent out to try to foist a tiny puppy (far too young to be separated from the mother) on to some poor sap (they think the Brits are a soft touch, being well known to be soppy about animals). I don't like to think of what might happen to the endless litters of puppies if nobody takes them on, but neither do I want a dog and I especially don't want to end up responsible for a houseful of waifs and strays.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Dionysus said:


> One could argue that spaying, or neutering a pet is as bad, or not any worse than docking, or debarking. Whatever your reason is against one thing, a reason can be made for the same thing. Maybe just leaving them alone is best.


Every week the dog rescue charity I work for takes in unwanted, abandoned stray dogs, some half-famished, some beyond veterinary care.
Every dog we take in is castrated or neutered before we find it a home.
It's called behaving responsibly.
There is no way to compare this with docking, cutting ears or debarking. Those things are done for no good reason other than human preference.
Castrating or neutering your dog is one small step to cutting down the number of stray dogs roaming the streets and countryside of Spain. One reason, perhaps the main reason, why so many of our dogs are adopted by families in the Netherlands and Scandinavia is that there are fewer dogs in pounds there as these countries have a more responsible attitude to animal welfare and don't allow or encourage by negligence unwanted and uncontrolled breeding.
Dogs here are often 'left alone' to die a miserable death of thirst and starvation. That can never be 'best'.


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## Dionysus (Jan 4, 2016)

*Pets*

Just to be clear, I was referring to one's pet due to the comments about docking and debarking; I don't know of many cases where people do that to strays. Neutering and spaying on the other hand, I see the point when it comes to strays.

And to be honest, I did not even know there were people who debarked their dogs, but after thinking about it, I don't see it any worse than spaying, or neutering. Noisy dogs are a problem, and from what I've read, debarking does not stop barking, it only reduces the loudness of the bark, and the dogs don't seem to notice it. I has me curious now, I have to find a dog who's had that procedure done.

One of a few links I read on the subject of debarking: http://www.naiaonline.org/articles/article/debarking-bark-softening-myths-and-facts


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Dionysus said:


> Just to be clear, I was referring to one's pet due to the comments about docking and debarking; I don't know of many cases where people do that to strays. Neutering and spaying on the other hand, I see the point when it comes to strays.
> 
> And to be honest, I did not even know there were people who debarked their dogs, but after thinking about it, I don't see it any worse than spaying, or neutering. Noisy dogs are a problem, and from what I've read, debarking does not stop barking, it only reduces the loudness of the bark, and the dogs don't seem to notice it. I has me curious now, I have to find a dog who's had that procedure done.
> 
> One of a few links I read on the subject of debarking: Debarking (Bark Softening) - Myths and Facts | National Animal Interest Alliance


Thanks for clarifying...but imo 99% of cases pets should be castrated/neutered .
We have two dogs, one an uncastrated Ridgeback we got ten years ago when we lived in Prague. We bought him from a breeder in Slovakia. It never occurred to us to have him castrated since at the time we were totally ignorant of what we would find when we came to Spain.
Our Cane Corso, the rescue dog we adopted here, was neutered by the shelter vet.
Now we know about the plight of so many poor dogs in Spain, we would NEVER buy a dog again and we would ALWAYS have our dog castrated.
Our Ridgeback is kept on the lead and under control but one night walking in the campo he encountered a ***** in heat and there was no holding him. He and the ***** took off and we searched for over two hours before we found them lying exhausted on the shore of a lake. (They were not having a post-coital cigarette).
As far as we know, nothing resulted from this encounter....but it could easily have done, then another litter of possibly unwanted pups.
This week we've had another cardboard box of pups brought in , found by a dustbin like rubbish. Fortunately they'll soon be adopted, everyone loves cute little puppies. It's the older dogs who spend years in the shelter that nobody wants...


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

I've only ever had two dogs and fortunately neither of them are/ were particularly vociferous, but I think the problem of a barking dog is usually behavioural and not surgical. The problem is that correcting behaviour needs skill and time which most people don't have. Dogs bark much as children cry. It can be a huge problem (one I have suffered from my neighbours) but cutting vocal chords seems extreme to me and not really solving the problem of why the dog was barking. I mean, if the dog was barking through fear or loneliness making sure he has no voice isn't going to help him, but of course we're probably just interested in making sure the humans aren't disturbed.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

mrypg9 said:


> Thanks for clarifying...but imo 99% of cases pets should be castrated/neutered .
> /QUOTE]
> 
> I agree. The unwanted puppies which are hawked around my neighbourhood aren't from strays, but from family pets. When I've mentioned the possibility of neutering or castrating to people, the response I've had is "oh no, it's cruel". Whether they really believe that or whether it's just a cover for not being able to afford the vet's fees (and I'd bet a euro to a centimo that these animals aren't chipped or vaccinated either) or sheer inertia, I don't know. These aren't pedigree dogs where the pups could be sold for money, but Heinz 57 mongrels. Either way, it would seem the less cruel option to me than ruining the health of the ***** and the possible fate of all the unwanted puppies.


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## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

Not sure if this is related or not but haven't they also now banned the sale of dogs(used car parts too) from social media groups and place like milanuncios?
Not sure if this will help the problem or make things worse for the dogs.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Pazcat said:


> Not sure if this is related or not but haven't they also now banned the sale of dogs(used car parts too) from social media groups and place like milanuncios?
> Not sure if this will help the problem or make things worse for the dogs.


I'm not sure if it's linked either - but certainly facebook has banned the sale of all live animals for profit - that's international, so it probably isn't linked.


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