At some point in your life you must have come across a Bulldog or a Corgi on the street, maybe a friend of yours has an Australian Shepherd and you may have noticed that they all have a thing in common, they don’t have a tail.
You’ve probably wondered if their owners cut their tails, whether it’s fashion or functionality. The truth is that there are several dog breeds with these characteristics. Of the approximately 350 breeds of dogs existing on the planet, 17 breeds have been detected that are born without a tail.
This is caused by a genetic alteration in the C189G T gene in dogs, which causes them to be born without a tail or with a tiny tail. Although there are also dogs that have their tails removed for aesthetic reasons, such as the Neapolitan Mastiff, the Rottweiler, among others. The good news is that some countries have started creating laws that protect and prohibit this type of practice.
Why is tail docking bad for dogs?
Dogs need their limbs for many things: it is natural for dogs to inherit their tails from their wolf ancestors. “The amputation of a dog’s tail is not a simple cut. »
“This is the amputation of cartilage, as well as skin, nerves, blood vessels and other tissues are also cut,” explains Lina Sáez de Antoniveterinarian of the Spanish association.
One of the strongest arguments against tail docking is that it “causes chronic pain”, although these animals are sometimes good at masking it. Amputating a dog’s tail is painful, and the intensity or duration of the pain is very difficult for us to quantify”adds the American Veterinary Medical Association, which also opposes such interventions.
In addition, “this amputation can cause atrophy and degeneration of the pelvis, as well as trigger problems with faecal incontinence”explain the veterinarians.
What happens when a dog has no tail?
Some people associate the tail with a dog’s balance, but that’s not the case. What it affects is how they communicate because we can tell by this body part if a dog is sad, happy, angry or aggressive.
