Tail Docking and Ear Cropping Dogs: Public Awareness and Perceptions

Abstract

Tail docking and ear cropping are two surgical procedures commonly performed on many dog breeds. These procedures are classified as medically unnecessary surgeries whose purpose is primarily cosmetic. Available attitude research surrounding these controversial practices has been limited to surveys of veterinarians and dog breeders familiar with both practices. The aim of this project was to: 1) assess public awareness of tail docking and ear cropping, 2) determine whether physical alteration of a dog affects how the dog, and 3) owner are perceived. In Experiment 1 awareness was measured using a combination of both explicit and implicit measures. We found that 42% of participants (n = 810) were unable to correctly explain the reason why tail docked and ear cropped dogs had short ears and tails. Similarly, an implicit measure of awareness (‘nature vs nurture task’), found that the majority of participants believed short tails and erect ears were a consequence of genetics rather than something the owner or breeder had done. The results obtained in Experiment 2 (n = 392) provide evidence that ear cropped and tail docked dogs are perceived differently than an identical dog in its ‘natural’ state. Modified dogs were perceived as being more aggressive, more dominant, less playful and less attractive than natural dogs. Experiment 3 (n = 410) is the first evidence that owners of modified dogs are perceived as being more aggressive, more narcissistic, less playful, less talkative and less warm compared to owners of natural dogs. Taken together, these results suggest that although a significant proportion of subjects appear unaware of the practices of tail docking and ear cropping in dogs, these procedures have significant impacts on how modified dogs and their owners are perceived by others.

Dogs with cropped ears in the UK: A population‐based study using electronic health records

“…Some owners may have chosen this appearance without realising its unnatural origin and the surgeries required to create it or the legal implications. An American study analysing participant knowledge of the relationship of certain traits, including ear size and shape in traditionally cropped breeds, to genetics or environment supports this suggestion 20 . Many participants thought the cropped appearance was mostly a genetic trait, with only 58% correctly recognising that ‘some dog breeds have part of their ears and tails surgically removed after they are born’.…”

Institutional transparency improves public perception of lab animal technicians and support for animal research

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Discourses of Discord: Animal Activism and Moral Judgement

“…tail docking dogs, mulesing sheep, and culling day-old male chicks) which are implicitly deemed acceptable in that they receive minimal public attention. Indeed, a Canadian study on public awareness of tail docking and ear croppings in dogs found that the majority of participants held the belief that short ears and tails were the result of genetics as opposed to an intentional act on the part of owners and breeders (Mills et al, 2016). Similarly, a German study on the killing of day-old male chicks in the poultry farming sector revealed that consumers lack considerable knowledge of the practice (Schröter & Mergenthaler, 2019).…”