Tail-docking ban slammed
While veterinarians celebrate a ban on the docking of dogs’ tails, one breeder says she is bitterly disappointed.
Lesley Chalmers, a Christchurchbased pembroke corgi breeder and international dog show judge, said the breed would cease to exist when the ban came into force in 2018.
‘‘It’s changing the phenotype of the breed. A pembroke corgi with a tail is not a pembroke corgi,’’ she said.
The Ministry for Primary Industries announced the tail docking ban, along with a raft of other animal welfare regulations, on Wednesday.
Under the new rules, tail docking will be prohibited unless it is done by a veterinarian to treat a significant injury or disease.
The regulations also prohibit the removal of dew claws, which grow on the inside of a dog’s foreleg, unless the procedure is done by a vet for the same reasons.
The New Zealand Veterinary Association has welcomed the changes, saying they were ‘‘a win for the wellbeing of our animals’’.
Spokeswoman Rochelle Ferguson said 20 countries, including Australia, had already banned the practice, which was ‘‘not a benign procedure that causes no pain’’.
‘‘A pembroke corgi is much more than just a tail.’’
Under current animal welfare laws, tail docking for non-medical reasons can only be performed on puppies that are less than four days old.
Claims the procedure was painful and stressful for puppies were ‘‘utter codswallop’’, Chalmers said.
‘‘In over 40 years I have never had a pup stressed through banding its tail.’’
Under the ban, Chalmers will face a fine if she continues to band the tails of her puppies.