My understanding is that, under the current legislation in Scotland, it is not permissible to dock or shorten any puppy’s tail as a prophylactic measure to prevent injury. That position was arrived at to try to avoid what are termed unnecessary mutilations, and it was seen as generally beneficial for dogs.
In many ways, I support that position. In general, there is no need to do something if it will not be of benefit. However, it is clear to me, from my experience and from speaking to professional colleagues as well as gamekeepers and people who shoot, that there is a significant problem with working dogs. It is important to understand that the issue is not just about dogs that go shooting; it is also about police dogs and dogs that are used for tasks such as search and rescue. Part of the problem might be that they spend a long time in kennels, but it is also to do with the work that they do.
The committee has talked about comparisons of pain. I have docked a reasonable number of dogs’ tails in my time, and I know that you snip the tail, the puppy goes, “Oop!” and then you put it back on the bitch’s teat and the puppy starts suckling. Within five minutes of the procedure being finished, the whole litter is asleep. By comparison, as Tim Parkin explained, injuries to dogs can range from a nick to a grossly infected tail. The problem with those injuries is that they are difficult to treat. No vet relishes treating a tail that has been injured. If it has to be amputated, it is difficult to decide how much to amputate, and there is a high complication rate. Some dogs heal quickly, some have protracted healings and some need two or three operations to sort out the problem.
Once they have been through all that, dogs can be quite traumatised and they certainly have painful tails that they are defensive about. It is clear that they do not appreciate the procedure, whereas with puppies there is, in my experience, no evidence that they resent the procedure in any way. Although we have to dock a certain number of dogs to achieve a certain gain, when there are problems, they are real ones for the dogs and their owners. It is distressing for owners to see their dogs like that.