"[P]revent injury later in life" is hardly the reason most people do this to their dogs. Granted, there are worse things you can do to a domesticated animal (like declawing a cat), but the modern rationale for docking and cropping comes from aesthetics, not utility.
AH | 02.08.07 - 2:18 pm | #

I lost an eye to a happy dog once you inconsiderate prig and now the menace of happy dogs will only increase. I weep, asymetrically, for Scotland.
Bobbo | 02.08.07 - 4:38 pm | #

Since people are required to have a license and paperwork regarding their animals, I believe this makes them property. Granted, we shouldn't mistreat our property, but if parents are allowed to circumsize their sons w/o a religious imperative, why can't they lop off a puppy's tail or ears or dewclaws?

Oh wait, it's Scotland, the land of bad ideas.
Area Man | 02.08.07 - 7:29 pm | #