ShowSight January 2019

THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’

by TALES OF JUDGING TAILS FB GROUP, THERESA GOIFFON ADMINISTRATOR

Y es, indeed, just as the title of the popular 1964 song by Bob Dylan says, the times are changing. Change comes with resistance, resolve, fortitude and eventually accep- tance. The purpose of this article is to give the reader a clear understand- ing of the mission of those breeders and exhibitors, who have showcased some of their dogs in this issue of Show- Sight , who choose to leave their dogs cosmetically unaltered. We expect our breeding stock to be evaluated fairly and in full by American Kennel Club

judges without prejudice toward their natural state. We are a large group of breeders who represent many different dog breeds. We breed to and follow our AKC stan- dard with respect to our specific breed. We differ from the breed standard by making a conscious decision to have our dogs represented in their natural born state without any cosmetic altera- tions. Contrary to what some believe, we are not advocates for any extreme animal rights groups. Many, if not most of us, support the right of breeders to make these decisions for themselves,

while others believe as our colleagues in other parts of the world that our dogs should no longer be altered at birth nor at any other time. We advocate for our dogs to receive equal consideration in the show ring. A brief look into the history of this practice provides some theories as to why dogs were altered in the first place. Historical writings dated prior to 1796 show that in the United Kingdom a tax was levied upon working dogs with tails. Many types of dogs, therefore, were docked to avoid payment of this tax. In 1796 this tax was repealed. Oth- ers believe by docking our dogs we prevent potential injury that may occur during specific breed trait activities. Others once thought by docking tails the dogs were less likely to contract rabies. Now, in 2019, we know these original reasons for historically altering our dogs are unfounded. There are no legitimate nor medical justifications to cosmetically alter our dogs. The following is the position of the American Veterinarian Medical Associa- tion, directly quoted from the AVMA: “1976 POLICY Suggested by the American Animal Hospital Association and approved by the AVMA House of Delegates Resolved, that the American Veterinary Medical Association recom- mend to the American Kennel Club and appropriate breed associations

“CHANGE COMES WITH RESISTANCE, RESOLVE, FORTITUDE AND EVENTUALLY ACCEPTANCE.”

292 • S how S ight M agazine , J anuary 2019

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