NEW BYLAW...UNSURE

GailB · Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 4:20 pm Post subject: NEW BYLAW...UNSURE

I haven't quite got all the particulars yet as we don't have a meeting till next week...from what I have been told in a brief conversation is......

How do you guys feel about this:...... No more docking of tails or cropping ears (obviously on dogs)....

Here's the part I am confused about...but still aloud to declaw cats...

Would it not be all considered cosmetic whether it be dog or cat...is declawing not considered cosmetic Question

weimdawgs · Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 4:46 pm Post subject:

I always thought that the only reason to declaw a cat was to avoid damage to your property. I would never do it because it also eliminates their ability to protect themselves.

yoko · Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 4:54 pm Post subject:

Our yoko was from a rescue and came with a docked tail, but I would have preferred it intact. I'm not sure if there is a medical argument to support tail docking or ear pinning or whatever its called. If its cosmetic only I don't support it.

Declawing in my opinion is awful. Again its done for human convenience, and the animal doesn't benefit in any way, so why should this be allowed?

I'm sure you'll get lots of opinions on this one. Just like the circumcision debates you see on parenting boards.

I think docking is banned in some countries already.

Sue

yoko · Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 4:55 pm Post subject:

Our yoko was from a rescue and came with a docked tail, but I would have preferred it intact. I'm not sure if there is a medical argument to support tail docking or ear pinning or whatever its called. If its cosmetic only I don't support it.

Declawing in my opinion is awful. Again its done for human convenience, and the animal doesn't benefit in any way, so why should this be allowed?

I'm sure you'll get lots of opinions on this one. Just like the circumcision debates you see on parenting boards.

I think docking is banned in some countries already.

Sue

weimdawgs · Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 7:24 pm Post subject:

There are legitimate reasons for dew claw removal and tail docking in hunting dogs. Dew claws can get caught up in brush and cause painful injury. Weims have long thin whippy tails that can be easily injured in heavy brush. And if it is done correctly when the puppy is only a few days old, it's fine.

LunaBrown · Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 8:53 pm Post subject:

My two cents on declawing cats, from my personal experience.

When you get a very young kitten declawed they barely notice - I had a roomate who had her little kitty declawed and neutered at the same time - the next day when the little bugger came home from the vet you wouldn't have known he had had 2 major surgeries. On the flip side - getting it done to an adult cat is AWFUL. A few years ago hubby and I wanted to move out of our apartment in a bad getting worse neighborhood into a 'nice' apartment which required cats be declawed... There was no way we were going to give her up, so we had to have his adult cat declawed at 3 or 4 years of age and it was the worst thing ever. She was in pain for weeks... it was heart breaking Sob / cry

I still regret having to put her through that... but what's done is done.

On a side note, we're pretty sure they threw a lobotomy in for free... Paige was kind of a bitch of a cat before the declaw and afterwords she turned into a lovey girl... it was so weird.

I adopted my kitty when he was 7 months old and he was already neutered and declawed so I did not have to make that choice.... Hubby and I will not ever have another cat after Paige & Murphy so we will not have to make the choice again...

Paige and Murphy are 100% INDOOR ONLY cats... they used to dart out the door, and for their own safety we had to figure out how to get them to quit doing that. I know it sounds horrible but we used the garden hose to teach them that going outside isn't fun... they don't even try to get outside any more. Wink

Lily12481 · Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 11:08 pm Post subject:

Goose (our first weim and first purebred) took some time to get used to since we've always had dogs with long whip-lash, knocking-stuff over tails, so it was cute to see such a wiggle butt but versus slappin' tail. I don't know too much about the docking process other than it being done a few days after the dog being born.

As for cats being declawed, I'm strongly against it. To cats, if they go to the bathroom in a litterbox, its like walking on shards of glass. I would never get my cat declawed. I trim his nails regularly (it used to be a pain, as it would take two people to hold him down to clip them).
Crazy that they would consider suddenly that they needed to change the rules...

mtbazz · Housebroken Joined: 20 Sep 2008 Posts: 51

I think if people were to stop and think they would realize that tail docking is not cruel. Quite the opposite IMO. I always thought it was a strange practice until I realized just how dangerous and painful an injury to the tail can be.

GailB · Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 7:51 am Post subject:

youhavenoidea · Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 2:13 pm Post subject:

cgmayeaux · Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 2:29 pm Post subject:

I don't know much about tail docking and dew claw removal, but my cat is declawed. I had to against my better judgement at 5 years old due to property damage. I did feel horrible, and she hurt for a few days....but I really had no choice.