Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights.

I believe that the following extract proves that the minority desire to ban tail docking is alive in the United States.

Ignored, groups such as this will gain strength and persuade the authorities that their unsubstantiated claims are valid and widely accepted. Legislative changes restricting docking may slip through unnoticed, lumped in with the banning of other practices which are perhaps valid in the name of welfare, thus providing little or no opposition. If you support the docking option, you need to be prepared to campaign for its retention and to make your voice heard.

Quote starts:

Position Statement:

Cosmetic Surgery or Surgery to Correct 'Vices'

The Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights is opposed to various surgeries done to meet 'breed standards' or to correct so-called vices.

Procedures such as ear cropping, tail docking or 'debarking' in dogs, or declawing in cats are unacceptable because the suffering and disfigurement they cause the animal are not offset by any benefits to the animal. If such a procedure can be shown to be necessary for medical or humane reasons, then it is permissible. The 'breed standards' for dogs must be altered to allow the animals to be shown without being surgically mutilated.

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Please do not be fooled by the apparent get out clause "If such a procedure can be shown to be necessary for medical or humane reasons, then it is permissible". This will be interpreted as the tail docking procedure only being allowed when an adult dog has injured its long tail. This group is plainly under the misconception that tail docking is merely "cosmetic surgery".

Should you wish to contact them or see their full statment, here are their details:

Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights

P.O. Box 208 Davis, California 95617-0208, U.S.A.

Voice phone: 530.759.8106 Facsimile: 530.759.8116

Internet, e-mail: AVAR@igc.org Internet, web site: http://AVAR.org