Memorandum submitted by Ian Megahy BVMS,
MRCVS
As a vet in general practice, with experience
of Animal Welfare Issues, I would respectfully make the following
points with regard to the above draft bill.
1. Tail docking should only be legal in
therapeutic cases, determined by a Veterinary Surgeon.
2. There is no logical reason for any exemptions
to this.
3. The gun dog breed case is totally spurious.
If a breed of dog is docked then, by definition, it has a 100%
incidence of tail damage. Therefore the incidence can only be
reduced if this breed is not docked, irrespective of any subsequent
damage.
4. Not all working breeds are docked.
5. It is very simple, and painless to the
dogs, to change the breed standard. Breed standards are not set
in stone. They can and should be changed to improve the well-being
of the dog. Banning tail docking will prevent unnecessary suffering.
6. With regards to soiling—if an owner
cannot deal with this then they should not have a dog.
7. Several years ago tail docking was legally
restricted to Veterinary Surgeons. This legislation failed as
lay people continued to mutilate the animals, as it was nearly
impossible to determine who had performed the act.
8. Any exemptions will cause ambiguity and
large numbers of animals will suffer unnecessary pain.
9. It is very difficult to accurately determine
a dog's breed at less than 10 days of age.
10. The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
is unequivocal in its abhorrence of tail docking and expressly
forbids it members to so mutilate animals. However, it is unable
to enforce this at present. A total ban would empower this professional
body, whereas an incomplete ban would introduce an element of
doubt, which in turn would emasculate their disciplinary powers.
Thank you for considering the above points.
I have appeared as an expert witness in over 20 criminal trials,
regarding animal cruelty cases and I wholeheartedly welcome this
Draft Bill. It is a strong piece of legislation. Please do not
diminish it's good by including an incomplete ban on Tail Docking
in Dogs.
18 August 2004
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