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DOCKING OF DOGS' TAILS

Approximately 50 breeds of dogs recognised by the Kennel Club have been customarily docked.  Docking may be defined as the removal of whole or part of a dog's tail.

From July 1993 this procedure has been illegal under UK law unless carried out by a veterinary surgeon on the Register of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) is the governing body of the veterinary profession in the UK, and only Members of the Royal College are allowed to practice veterinary medicine and surgery in this country.

For many years before the change in the law in 1993, the RCVS was firmly opposed to the docking of dogs' tails for cosmetic reasons, irrespective of the age of the dog.  The only exceptions to this are if it can be shown to be necessary for therapeutic or truly prophylactic reasons.  Therapeutic docking for the treatment of injury or disease to the tail presents no problem, but prophylactic docking is more difficult to define.  Counsel's Opinion suggests that docking cannot be defined as prophylactic unless it is undertaken for the necessary protection of the dog from risk of disease or injury which is likely to arise in the future resulting from the retention of the entire tail.

It is considered that faecal soiling is not for this purpose a disease or injury and its purported prevention by surgical means cannot be justified.

Similarly, docking of a whole litter of puppies carried out merely at the owner's request cannot be described as prophylactic just because the pups are of a particularly breed, type or conformation.

The RCVS therefore considers that docking for reasons that are other than therapeutic or truly prophylactic amounts to unacceptable mutilation, which, if carried out by a veterinary surgeon who knew or ought to have known of the lack of true justification, would almost certainly be considered to be conduct disgraceful in a professional respect.  If found guilt by the RCVS Disciplinary Committee the offending veterinary surgeon could have his/her name removed from the Register of Veterinary Surgeons and would thus be deprived of his or her right to practice veterinary surgery.

I hope that this explanation makes it clear to you why we are unable to accede with your request to dock your litter of puppies.

If we can help further, please do not hesitate to contact us.