Dogs — The Challenging Journey to meet Breed Registries Standards
Dogs are man’s best friends since ancient times. They are infinitely loyal and steadfast in loving kindness, service and protection. Representing the true meaning of unconditional love; they have long served as guardians for man. One of the famous quotes of British Poet Samuel Butler also describes the pleasure of having a dog as companion like this - “The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too.”
Dogs make great pets because of their natural bonding with humans. There are over 400 breeds of dog in the world, and no one breed is right for everyone. Different breeds serve various human needs. American Kennel Club (AKC), the largest single purebred dog registry in the USA also divides dog breeds into seven groups, one class, and the Foundation Stock Service, consisting of the following:-
1. Sporting Group: Includes bird dogs, e.g. - Pointers, Retrievers, Setters, and Spaniels.
2. Hound Group: Includes dogs developed to hunt using sight or scent, e.g. - Greyhounds and Beagles.
3. Working Group: Includes large breeds developed for a variety of jobs, including guarding property, guarding livestock, or pulling carts, e.g. - Siberian Huskies and Bernese Mountain Dogs.
4. Terrier Group: Includes feisty breeds some of which were developed to hunt vermin and to dig them from their burrows or lairs, e.g. - Cairn Terrier and Airedale Terrier.
5. Toy Group: includes small companion breeds e.g. - Toy Poodles and Pekineses.
6. Non-Sporting Group: Includes breeds that do not fit into any of the preceding categories, usually larger than Toy dogs, e.g. - Bichon Frises and Miniature Poodles.
7. Herding Group: Includes breeds developed to herd livestock, e.g. - Rough Collies and Belgian Shepherds.
Miscellaneous Class: 12 breeds that have advanced from FSS but that are not yet fully recognized.
Foundation Stock Service (FSS) Program: This is a breed registry in which breeders of rare breeds can record the birth and parentage of a breed that they are trying to establish in the United States; these dogs provide the foundation stock from which eventually a fully recognized breed might result.
However, every dog breed has its own characteristics and even every dog, regardless of its breed, has certain unique physical characteristics; their journey to meet breed standards can be very challenging and painful. Many times they are subjected to butchery because of imperious “breed standards” and pseudo-medical beliefs. It is not uncommon for Puppies to have their ears cropped or straightened; tails docked to meet breed standards. The practices, which were began among dogs breeds for protection now became the fashion, and in some breeds, an expectation. Many of these are done due to meet breed standards of many Kennel Clubs.
Tail docking involves cutting off the majority of a dog's tail, generally within days of birth. There are over 70 breeds of dog that traditionally have their tails cut off a few days after birth. Tail docking is a common practice in hunting dogs and herding dog’s breeds. For example, in Australian Shepherds puppies, where tails are docked because the breed standard says that the tail should be straight, docked or naturally bobbed, not to exceed four inches in length.
Ear cropping involves cutting a notch out of a floppy ear and bandaging it so that it heals in a more upright, "alert" position. It's done on more than 50 breeds including boxers, great Danes, schnauzers, Doberman pinchers and terriers. In Boxers Puppies both cropping of the ears and docking of the tail are done to meet breed registries standards.
The breeders and owners who prefer docked and cropped dogs need to change their attitude and put the welfare of their Pets before outdated traditions. Tail docking and ear cropping, both quite common, have become more controversial over the past few years and now have been prohibited in many countries around the world.
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