Ear cropping is when the pinna, or "floppy part" of the ear, is surgically removed. Tail docking is the removal of most of a dog's tail. This requires anesthetic so has to be done by a vetenarian however, many owners feel the need to do the procedure themselves leading to extreme pain for their dogs. "No scientific studies have been conducted to establish whether docking and cropping have any medical value". If this is true then the reshaping of dogs' ears or tails are not really necessary. From my own knowledge I know that people where I live crop their dogs' ears and tails because they make them fight other dogs and they don't want their ears or tails to get in the way. They feel if their ears or tails are long then the other dog we bite or pull on them. I feel that they should not make their dogs fight in the first place.
There is a history behind ear cropping and tail docking which goes back to the Romans. They believed that cropping a dog's ears prevented rabies. Also, dogs used for hunting, fighting, or watching flock were more likely to get hurt if their ears or tails weren't cropped. The owners of working dogs felt that tail docking decreased the dog's ability to move so it would discourage them decreasing their ability to chase game. However, other dog owners felt that tail docking made the dogs faster. Another reason why tails were cropped was because working dogs were not taxed so people whose dogs didn't work would crop their dog's tails so that it seemed as though they worked and they wouldn't get taxed. In other areas people were taxed on the length of their dog's tail so they would crop their dog's tails so they wouldn't get taxed so much.
When cropping a dog's ears the chances of getting ear infections increases because they don't have that extra part for protection. Tails are docked because when dogs do their business feces stick to long hairs on the tail so it prevents flies and maggots. However, dogs need their tails for many reasons. They use their tail to express many different emotions that we have come to understand. Also it is said that "muscles used to wag the tail may also strengthen the perineal area and prevent perineal hernias."
"It is against the law to crop ears on dogs in so many large and civilized countries: the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, England, Sweden, Singapore, South Africa and Germany, and is not sanctioned in other places." If it is against the law then why are so many dog owners doing it and not getting punished? By visiting this website, bloomington.in.us/~stopcrop/index.html, you can help prevent the cropping of ears and docking of tails.
