ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, December 22, 1996 TAG: 9612230007
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-4 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
COLUMN: claws & paws
SOURCE: JILL BOWEN
Q: I am the owner of a beautiful Great Dane that I brought with me when I moved here from Scotland about a year ago. An American friend has expressed surprise that she does not have prick ears as Danes do here. I explained that I had never seen a Dane with prick ears until I moved to the United States. I am puzzled by the difference and wondered why.
A: I am not surprised that you have only seen Great Danes with drop ears in Britain. The practice of cropping ears was made illegal in the United Kingdom many years ago, and quite rightly so in my opinion. Ear cropping is a surgical procedure done on young puppies under general anesthesia but the puppies do suffer a great deal of post-operative discomfort for some time. Furthermore, unless the surgeon is very skilled, the chances of a puppy getting a poor ear trim are relatively high and might mean further surgery to correct the problem.
When I first worked in Colorado, I was appalled at the number of corrective ear trims that were referred to our Small Animal surgical unit. Some of these puppies' ears were so badly mutilated that it was quite impossible to effect corrective surgery. Originally, ears were cropped to make the dog look more threatening, or so it was thought. The practice originated in Europe with breeds like Doberman Pinschers that were used by the police.
It is still performed in Europe, which is why most Great Danes and Dobermans in the United States have cropped ears as the original breeding stock was imported from Europe rather than Great Britain. The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in London decided several decades ago that there was no veterinary reason for subjecting certain breeds to the painful ear cropping operation. They made it illegal to perform ear cropping.
The only dogs you will see in Britain with cropped ears are those that have been imported from either the United States or the Continent. It is interesting to note that the British Kennel Club, which controls all the big dog shows in Britain will not allow any dog with cropped ears to be shown. Furthermore any veterinarian registered with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons who performs the ear cropping operation on British soil is immediately disbarred and not allowed to practice.
People who participate in dog fighting also like the ears to be cropped as they claim it makes the dog look fiercer and there is less ear for its opponent to latch onto. Advocates of ear cropping claim it also prevents ear canal problems by allowing more air to circulate to the ear. This might be a plausible theory if the dogs in question were prone to ear problems but they rarely are. It would be possible to make a case for ear-cropping in breeds such as the cocker spaniel and the basset that suffer all too often from chronic ear infections. I am afraid that the barbaric practice of ear cropping will not disappear in the United States as long as the breed societies and the American Kennel Club actively promote it.
LENGTH: Medium: 56 linesby CNB