Is Ear Cropping and Tail Docking Legal or Prohibited in the UK?
With so many people now flaunting cropped and docked dogs in public spaces, it is hard to believe that ear cropping is illegal in Britain. Since 2006’s Animal Welfare Act went into effect, cropping should no longer occur so each dog born here should possess intact tails and natural ears.
Celebrity culture does nothing to help this situation either. Over the years there has been an endless parade of “celebrities” parading their docked or cropped dogs on social media, all proclaiming either ignorance or indifference regarding how it fuels demand; their primary interest being “coolness.” Most recently was Diversity star Jordan Banjo who posted pictures of his new dog Sergio with cropped ears which was met by outrage from many, resulting in his receiving numerous complaints – to his apparent surprise being met by condemnations despite defending his actions by saying in his defense “in his defence he stated that
“I can’t claim to know everything there is about cropped ears; nor am I willing to claim I was misinformed; frankly I never even considered the concept in the first place when considering Sergio’s ears being cut or even imported; it upsets me to think a dog has to go through such painful procedures just so they look “cooler”.” Jordan Banjo.
Such outrageous displays of ignorance and outrage at animal cruelty illustrate how some individuals continue to view animals as objects for enjoyment rather than as living creatures who require care and protection.
A ban on ear cropping is hard to enforce because, once again, those responsible did not give enough thought when formulating animal welfare laws in the UK about practical considerations that might help circumvent them – like importing ready made cropped and docked dogs from countries where such procedures remain legal like Europe or America; no one is barred from owning such dogs as long as any suffering caused overseas has given an impression to society that such actions are acceptable.
As it has become common to see imported dogs with severe disfigurements on UK streets, this has allowed UK entrepreneurs to continue illegal cropping and docking practices without incurring scrutiny from animal rights activists or others.
Dilemmas surrounding docking have only compounded with different interpretations and approaches from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland governments having their own individual takes on its legality. As a result, RSPCA have had to call on veterinarians for help in curbing illegal activity while they too must seek clarification from their governing bodies regarding what their respective roles should be regarding docking.
The RSPCA are backing a petition by an experienced dog trainer and welfare campaigner (2020) calling for the ban of imported ear cropped dogs from entering Australia, which needs our support to become reality.