Is tail docking still legal in the States?
Yes tail docking is still legal in the states.
According to what I read there are over 50 breeds whose tails are routinely docked.
Any breed you see with a short tail is most likely a docked tail. It is done so young that many people don't realize that certain breeds are not simply born with short tails.
Breeds in the US that usually have docked tails are: Jack Russell Terriers, Fox Terriers, Australian Cattle Dogs, Rat Terriers, Airedales, Old English Sheepdogs, Water Spaniels, Springer Spaniels, Cocker Spaniels, Poodles, Sealyham Terriers, Welsh Terriers, Weimaraners, Pit Bulls, Dobermans, Yorkies, Welsh Corgies, Boxers and sometimes German short-haired and wire-haired Pointers.
From experience I know that the procedure is supposed to be done when the pups are only a few days old. It is not supposed to be very traumatic at that age. The puppies we had done fell asleep within minutes of the procedure and did not seem to be in pain for longer than an instant. I know cause I was very reluctant to see it done but was neither bloody nor did it seem to cause the pups much distress. Anyway, nowadays they have changed to a method using rubber bands on pups that cause the tail to simply fall off after about 3 days.
While I hate to make an animal suffer....many of those breeds would look strange to me if not docked. I do however think ear cropping has been banned in some states.
I would be interested to know if Austalia also banned the routine docking of the tails of lambs?
As for tatooing fish they have been doing that for years and most serious aquariusts will not buy fish that have fake coloration. I have read that fish tatooed with needles often die during or after the procedure. I have not heard of this laser tequnique but I don't think it's a very good idea either way.
Tatooing animals for identification is one thing....tatooing fish doesn't seem like a good thing to do.
