<a href="http://www.top100dogsites.com/in.php?site=579">
<img src="http://www.top100dogsites.com/button.php?site=579" border="0"></a26/08/2008
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The Anti-Docking Alliance |
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The Campaign Against the Docking of Dogs' Tails |
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Latest News and Updates |
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Q: WHERE DOES A DOG GO WHEN HE LOSES HIS TAIL? -
A: To a re-tailo/er ! (OR DEFRA!)
E-MAIL ADDRESSES – Quite a few members have
changed their email address since joining, please
make sure you keep me informed as to any changes to your
email/snail mail addresses
MEMBERSHIP If
you are registering with ADA please ensure
you give a correct email address to which a reply can be sent. If
you don’t, it is regretted that
it will not be possible to process your membership.
Just to warn you that emails
with SUBJECT “hi” "photos" or left blank do not get opened as the majority
are spam/viruses and are deleted.
| August 2008 - If you have a moment you might like to do this if you have access to the coast from where you live:- |
11th July 2008 - HEARTWORM (parasite) has been confirmed in Scotland in a Weimaraner that has not been out of Glasgow. |
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KENNEL CLUB ADVICE ON DOCKING AS FROM 14/3/07 -
http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk:80/item/999 |
| 3/3/07 - DOCKING OF EXEMPTED DOGS - Vets will not be forced to dock dogs' that are on the exemption lists on request of the breeders . The choice will be theirs. What has to be decided is that, if they do dock, at what length? Above or below the supra-caudal scent glands, an arbitrary or by protocol length? |
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| 22/12/06 RCVS disciplinary case regarding docking by a Cheltenham Veterinary Surgeon. 15/12/06 - Vet John McKenna has been accused of docking 11 Weimaraner puppies. He was due to face the RCVS hearing Committee on 12/12/06 Geoff Gill (RCVS) commented It isn't acceptable to hack a chunk of an animal's body off. If the Vet can prove the animals were intended for working purposes it may be permitted. The exception exists to prevent working dogs from damaging their tails when going through bushes and undergrowth The Vet said that he was told that these dogs MIGHT grow up to become working dogs so I docked their tails. It isn't illegal to dock the tails of working dogs. ....It's something I may only carry out once a year. If someone rang me and asked me to dock the tail of a greyhound I'd say no." 22/12/06 He was found guilty and was removed from register for 28 days. In 1995 Marshall Dale was first and last Vet for 11 years to be charged by the RCVS and was acquitted.. Defence costs in excess of £25,000 were met by the CDB donation
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| USA - Greyhound racing 2008 has been banned in in 6 States since 1993 Massachusetts are voting on a ban and if approved will go into effect on 1st January 2010 |
| 3/3/06 Important RCVS Statement issued today see this link:- http://www.rcvs.org.uk/Templates/Internal.asp?NodeID=94508 |
| 1998> PAIN - Recent research has shown that neonates are HYPERsensitive rather than HYPOsensitive as has been widely believed. Neonates have an intact sensory central nervous system that does not have descending modular pathways that act as pain blocks seen in adults. Research has also shown that the memory of neonatal pain can affect the animal in its adult life. Symptoms include decreased pain threshold, anxiety, social disorders and aggression. For FULL details link to:- Pain See |
| AUSTRALIA - 4/3/05 Liza Bacchiella of Forrest Beach, Queensland was fined $1000 for docking the tails of 5 Rottweiler puppies between May and June 2004. A New South Wales man was jailed for 6 months for tail docking but the circumstances were more severe. Vet Dr. Anita Kocsis said docking was an unethical and cruel practice of cutting the end of the puppy's spine with no anaesthetics; it is like having a finger chopped off. It is painful to the puppies as they become distressed and whimper. http://townsvillebulletin.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,12447817%255E14787,00.html |
| NEW ZEALAND - 5/3/05 Waikato press report. Schnauzer breeder Rose Elle has imported undocked dogs from overseas and has docked tails of five month old dogs that arrived in New Zealand . Vet Jodi Salinsky regularly sees botched home docking jobs. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10113655 |
| The Independent 16/2/05 - extract quote:- Dr. Michael Mendl of Bristol University said that there is an implicit assumption that the more clever an animal is, the more likely it is to suffer, and he is not sure that there is a clear llink between the two. An accurate assessment of how animals feel, as well as how they think, is vital to ensure a high standard of animal welfare. However, an animal that is not aware of its thoughts may still be aware of its feelings and emotions. An awareness of sensations and emotions is known as "feelings consciousness". As far as welfare is concerned, this is the crux of the matter; what an animals feels, not just what it thinks. Mendl says that animals like us that are clever are more likely to suffer because they can think about suffering in the future and remember suffering in the past. But they are also capable of understanding that pain is going to stop. Less intelligent animals may not have this capacity. They may therefore, be worse off because they suffer not knowing their pain can end....... Procedures such as tail docking in sheep and branding in cattle are thought to be very painful because animals respond in a way we associate with pain. Although feelings are highly subjective; even for those closest to us they are often private experiences. We have no idea what any animal really feels - physiological studies show that when reacting as if in pain, animals' stress hormones soar. Prof. Dan Weary, from the University of British Columbia, argues that conventional husbandry methods should be rethought on the basis of the animals' reactions. In one experiment, half the male piglets on a farm were castrated and the other half were handled as if they were going to be. Only the pigs who were castrated made high-pitched squeals and only at the time of castration. Some farmers believe that the younger the animal, the less painful the operation but these pigs squealed no matter what age they were. The experiment indicates that animals' calls are a good way of assessing their actual pain, rather than the expectation of pain. .... Stress hormones in animals and humans can disrupt memory; you could argue that the ability to process information and store memories is related to conscious experience. On the other hand if pigs have no consciousness, forgetfulness can lead to damaging behaviour and inefficient husbandry. For example, animals with impaired memories might attack individuals because they have forgotten they know them. This often happens when sows that have given birth are reunited with their mates, they often fight vigorously.Prof. Anand is often referenced in pain related animal studies such as tail docking. What follows can also be associated with animal behaviour:- Sunday Times 27/2/05 - quote:-'A study of 200 preterm babies found they were subjected to a total of 20,000 procedures in the first 14 days of life in intensive care. Add to this inappropriate stimulation and continuous bright light and you have a model for chronic stress. In most neonatal units preterm babies lie on their backs on mats, naked apart from a nappy. Grossly immature reflexes mean that their arms and legs tend to wave or flap which is distressing for the baby, whose every instinct is to curl and ball, seeking safe boundaries to contain him. ..... .....Twenty years ago the notion of stress in preterm infants hadn't even been considered. Tbe pioneering work of of Al Aynsley-Green and Sunny Anand during the 1980s overturned the widely held belief that babies couldn't feel pain, or if they could, their experience if it somehow wasn't like ours. Before this time preterm babies regularly underwent surgery without anaesthesia. "Many of them died from shock" says Anand, now Professor of Paediatrics and Anaesthesiology at Arkansas Children's Hospital. "Others were returned to the ward, grey and shut-down, and it would take nurses to stabilise them. Their hormonal stress responses were five times what we expected. We proved that prolonged elevation of cortisol was incredibly damaging." After 48 hours in intensive care, preterm babies have learnt what noxious stimuli are. When a foot is grabbed for a routine heel prick, they desaturate (oxygen levels go down) and they become unstable, because they anticipate pain......A host of published studies shows that pain and stress affect brain development and yet the message still isn't getting across...."The collective ego of the medical profession will have to face the fact that their clinical approach is seriously limited" says Anand. "Do we have a choice? No we don't. It is our duty to practise what is best for the baby."........Where scientists agree that the preterm brain is very plastic; it develops more between 23 ane 40 weeks' gestation than at any other time throughout life, so sensory experience at this state is incredibly important....."Research has shown that a mother rocking her baby in her arms has a therapeutic effect on pain management and growth but rocking a baby mechanically doesn't have the same effect. Why? Because the baby however tiny craves a relationship", explains Anand Otwin Linderkamp, Prof of Neonatology at the University of Heidleberg Medical School, "Very early on I noticed how tiny babies always tried to get themselves into a corner in an incubator. The nurses took them back to the middle then the babies tried again. It was very sad this desperate search for boundaries. When I first came to Heidelberg I found a typical intensive care unit babies lying on mats under bright lights, and because they were agitated and moved around they were given sedation." Sunny Anand claims to have the first objective proof that there is conscious processing of painful stimuli by even the most premature babies, found by looking at responses within the cortex. His paper has been submitted to the New England Journal of Medicine. As the study contains unpublished information, he is reluctant to reveal the results, but he says this is the definitive study that the developmental care lobby has been waiting for. "We can now show that repeated painful stimuli produce an increase in the number of cells that die during brain development and also alter a child's cognitive processing for life. I'm not saying pain is the only problem but we think it is responsible for the long term cognitive outcomes.... " |
| JULY 2004 PUPPY BREEDERS - Essex County Council has invoked the Enterprise Act on a puppy trader at Bailey Kennels to bring her to court for contravening section 14 of the Sale of Goods Act 1979. Puppies sold should be of satisfactory quality and fit for the purpose for which they were intended. If she breaks the enforcement order she will be liable to a fine for contempt of court or even a jail sentence. This came about as there were complaints to the Council about sickly and dying puppies being sold. This seems to be the first time it has covered the produce of a breeder and not just a single puppy. If anyone is buying a puppy from a place where they appear to be puppy farming and the conditions are far from desirable this could be a way of getting it stopped. First of all one complains to the local Trading Standards Office and quote the Enterprise Act. More details on http://www.dti.gpv.uk/ccp/topics1/enforcement.htm Under Stop Now order it will be seen that the Director of Fair Trading and other consumer bodies can apply to the courts for “Stop Now” orders to stop dealers from breaking laws that harm the interests of consumers in general. These order also enable consumer bodies to take on dealers for whom existing sanctions are no deterrent. |
| 2006 - TREVOR COOPER (DANGEROUS DOGS' ACT) - the Solicitor who has successfully defended many dogs under the Dangerous Dogs Act has now set up a Helpline which covers England and Wales. 0906 515 1108 Mon-Thurs 7.30-9.30 pm. Calls cost £1 50 pence per minute from BT landline others vary. For other information visit his website http://www.doglaw.co.uk |
| Posted 12/03 PUPPY FARMING WALES AGAIN!! Please EVERYONE who visits this site act NOW on Welsh Puppy farming. Mr. Robert Killick well known in the dog world is urging us all to write (especially those of you who live in Wales to your Assembly Member) (or email) and money) the production of more puppies when the NCDL/Dogs’ Trust has had to neuter 5,500 dogs already in 2003, have removed 792 dogs to England for re-homing and has spent over £400,000 of charity money this year on the problem of an excess number of dogs. The Ty-Agored Sanctuary, Wales, rarely has fewer than 100 dogs in their kennels’ and have been turned down for grants and yet approval is being given by the Welsh Assembly for grants for farmers to start up puppy farms! Wales has double the number of strays per head of population and this is rising. The Co-ordination of Animal Rescue charities have transferred 1800 dogs from Wales to England in the past 12 months. Letters please ASAP to Carwyn Jones, Agricultural Minister, Welsh Assembly, Food and Farming Development Division, Parc Cathays, Cardiff. CF10 3NQ Phone 029 2082 6977, , Cardiff or email carwyn.jones@wales.gov.uk but use the header Farming or similar ( do not use the word Puppy Farming as your email may get trashed!) Keep it measured and polite even if you cannot believe their crass stupidity in pursuing such schemes . Christmas is a busy time for everyone but just think of the real act of goodwill you will be participating in if you can stop the “Puppy Harming” . The NCDL/Dogs’ Trust, Kennel Club and Robert Killick have all had unsuccessful attempts to stop these grants and puppy farming. Now it is up to us, the people, the ELECTORS, taxpayers and salary payers of these Ministers to tell them it has got to stop. It also needs an immediate Inquiry as to WHY “ they” are persisting with this when there is so much opposition…….. These unfortunate dogs/puppies may even end up in foreign countries where they are eaten or stripped alive for their skins. be taking their puppies back if sold to undesirable owners who then decide they no longer want them. They won’t be checking who buys their puppies and their future welfare. It is unfair to animal charities and their donor supporters who have a continuing battle trying to contain the numbers of unwanted dogs. |
| THE BREEDING OF DOGS ACT 1973 came into force 1/1974. This Act made it illegal for anyone to keep a breeding establishment for dogs except under the authority provided by a licence. The definition of a breeding kennel was defined as where more than two bitches were kept for the purpose of breeding for sale. The owner of an unlicensed breeding kennel was liable to conviction and a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale. This was increased to level 3 under the 1991 Act. Selling a dog with a false pedigree is a criminal offence (obtaining money by false pretences). Eg birth of puppies of a colour that could not be produced by the named parents or an unusually high level of fertility among breeding bitches in a kennel could obtain a conviction. . your local Council with the facts, RSPCA., KC., and other agencies such as Inland Revenue, Social Security and alert the press. |
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3/03 HOUSE OF LORDS BILL 3RD PARTY LIABILITY. Owners are now liable for injuries to 3rd parties caused by their dogs. IMPORTANT . Have you got 3rd Check your policy out and if you haven’t got one then consider whether you can run the risk of your extremely well-behaved dog tripping someone up on the flexi-lead… |
| The Pressure Group WAG would like to hear from anyone who has bought from a puppy farm. If you can help in any way, contact Ken McKie Tel 01357 529402 http://www.wag-ayrshire.org.uk/ . DO PLEASE HELP STOP THIS TRADE. Your help will be valuable and it costs nothing.. |
ANIMAL WELFARE ACT - ENGLAND 6th April 2007 -| UK DOG Have you got a group in your area? If not why not form one? If you have one and you have a dog, join it. Access to park and beaches is being gradually stopped by local authorities and by joining this group you will be in a position to negotiate and know what is being planned and halt further . UK Dog have a questionnaire to fill in to help them. |
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KC Dog Owners Group |
| POSTED 9/03 FIREWORKS – HOORAY! The Fireworks Bill has passed through Parliament and become law. Their sale will be restricted and their use to certain times of the day and year and public firework displays will be licensed. We can but hope that the regulations will be strong enough to enforce. (Also note site “Soundsscary” for tapes of unfamiliar sounds to facilitate the introduction of puppies to domestic life.). |
| Posted 10/03 BOO! There will be a noise level for domestic fireworks but none for category 4, ie professional displays. There will also be NO restriction on the use of fireworks ALL THE YEAR ROUND. There will be no restriction on fireworks in categories 1-3 for private displays and they may be let off on private land during any time of the year subject to the landowner’s approval. There is also to be no restriction on the retail sale of fireworks. The government has said to restrict fireworks from all the year round use would involve issues of fairness with regard to religious and cultural minorities… (what about the owners of animals?). The Bill will not completely ban fireworks; will not limit the noise of fireworks; will not regulate garden fireworks; will not stop anyone letting off fireworks at anytime of the year; will not restrict the selling of fireworks to specialist shops only; will not restrict fireworks to a particular time of the year. |
| DOG THEFT ACTION GROUP website http://www.dogtheftaction.com |
| DOG WARDENS There is a list on the Luton Borough Council’s website see A-Z Services; click on to Dog Wardens and you will find Dial a Dog Warden UK listing telephone numbers for all Dog Wardens in the UK:- http://www.luton..gov.uk If you need a paper copy contact the Council’s Dog Warden Service, Luton Town Hall, Upper George Street, Luton LU1 2BQ Tel 01582 546168/546613 or minicom 01582 724013 |
| LOST OR FOUND A PET – There is a new 24-hour PetBack Central Hotline which works with over 10,000 pet care organisations and provides 2 services for the owner. PetBack Protect offers FREE one year of optional lifetime protection for a pet which includes a pet ID tag linked into a 24 hour lost and found service, free microchip registration and should the pet go missing, immediate free transfer of the pet’s details to PetBack Response. Cost: 1 year free – lifetime £14.95 |
| PetBack Response - can be actioned on the spot if a pet goes missing. The pet’s photo and details will be transferred into the missing pets’ register supported by an electronic notification to charities such as the RSPCA, Battersea Dogs’ Home etc. Cost: PetBack Protect Members free. Non-members £19.95. PetBack Central is 24 hr hotline run by Missing Pets Bureau Tel 0870 1 999 999 Claims to work with 10,000 pet care organisations, Can provide 1 year optional lifetime protection for pets which includes ID tag linked to 24 hour lost and found service, free microchip registration. |
| DOG THEFT This is becoming a major problem. It has been reported in the dog press that around 135,000 dogs (900 puppies every week***) go missing annually and it's on the increase!) Dogs are being stolen from gardens and cars (sometimes for ransom money). There appears to be little or no policing of this and people affected are having to rely on their own resourcefulness to find the whereabouts of their dogs, often without success. Certain areas have been well targeted such as Kent and Essex but it has spread throughout the country. Police report dogs as “ missing” – not stolen – as they say they only do that if thieves have been seen to take the dogs (perhaps it's the same for house burglaries…!) Please be watchful for your dog and others. Do not leave your dog alone in the garden, outside shops and be wary of strangers calling or coming up expressing an interest in your dog, Take details of puppies for sale at car boot sales and report if necessary to police and RSPCA asap. According to the MISSING PET BUREAU, dog breeds most at risk from theft are:- ***nationally reported statistics are not available |
| Also:- http://www.doglost.co.uk shows pictures of lost dogs. Small fee for faxed details of missing dog to all Vets within 10-20 miles’ radius. Leeds is apparently terrible for dog theft as is south of Doncaster. |
| Lost Dogs’ Line run by Battersea Dogs’ Home within M25 area. Lines are open 8am-8pm 365 days a year. Calls 60p a min. Tel 0901 477 8477 |
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| Posted 2/04 DOG THEFT is back in the news. Watch out! Thefts also in Midlands, Wolverhampton and Walsall and Warwickshire. Don’t leave your pedigree dogs unguarded in the garden, in the car or tied up outside a shop. The Home Office apparently still do not consider this to be a widespread problem! If you have had a dog stolen, please write to them. 2,500 dogs go “missing” every week! Also make sure your dog is microchipped/tattoed. All breeders please ensure your litters are microchipped/tattoed. |
| Microchip/tattoo your dogs. Make sure your gardens are secure. Do not put stickers on your car advertising your dog or leave empty cages inside. Do not leave dogs unattended in gardens, cars or at shows or on benches at shows. Don’t let your dog run out of sight at exercise especially in a public park. Keep runs and kennels locked. A thorny hedge is a useful boundary to gardens. Get an alarm system – garage ones are cheap and easy to install. Don’t advertise your address if selling puppies. Don’t signpost kennels. Take note of strangers who comment on your dogs, make a note of suspicious car numbers if you feel your premises are being watched. If you’re really concerned inform the police of your suspicions and other dog owners etc. If someone comes to see puppies, get their address and take a photo ‘say it will be a nice memento for them when they collect puppy’. Question them closely and check their answers with other breeders. Don’t allow puppies to be taken away by any unexpected callers. If you have enquiries over the ‘phone, take only land line numbers and ‘phone them back. Treat all unexpected visitors with suspicion – don’t allow them on the premises and make a note of car numbers and watch any other occupants of the car. Canine society meetings and training classes are useful as a neighbourhood watch to collect and collate information and if you can persuade the police to take an interest so much the better. Monitor enquiries and unusual interest. When selling puppies always get the address of new home and don’t give them registration and papers but send them to the address given and explain to purchasers why you are disregarding the Kennel Club recommendations in this instance. If you are unable to supply puppies do not pass the enquirer on to some one; ask the other breeder to contact them. |
| 2003 PETLOG MICROCHIPS - If your dog had a microchip supplied by PETtrac (California) but registered with PETLog you may find you are no longer on PETLog register as last year PETtrac (www.avidplc.com) removed the details of all pets with a PETtrac chip. PETtrac has been found wanting insofar as it does not have a 24 hour or 7 days a week service. If you are not sure whether your pet has a PETtrac chip (your original certificate will have Pettrac’s name on it) or if you have no certificate then you should get the number checked. If it starts with a 1(one) and ends with an A or starts with either 977 or 250 then it is probably a PETtrac chip and PetLog have said as a goodwill gesture they will restore your details on their data base but you must write with the full identification number and full details of the pet to PetLog, PO Box 263, Aylesbury. HP19 8ZH or email from the website www.PetLog.org.uk |
| 2003 RCVS & PETLOG At last the RCVS has revised their stance with regard to microchips and dogs with “wrongful” owners. Before if a Vet was presented with an animal which was microchipped in another person’s name, both parties could be put in touch BUT only by mutual consent. Now it is agreed |
| 2004 Irish Kennel Club - Microchipping. From 1/1/2006 the Irish Kennele Club will require all puppies to be microchipped |
| BANNED FOR LIFE as a result of burglary. Woman from Gt. Manchester was banned from keeping animals for life, and had a community service order of 100 hours and had to pay £250 costs when burglars tipped off the RSPCA about her filthy and neglected dog. She admitted causing unnecessary suffering |
| 7/03 USA – Alabama. GREYHOUND CULLING The Alabam Legislature are legalising the culling of Greyhounds by ANY person. Greyhounds are to be classified as livestock. The Bill (37) has been passed in the House by a Tourism and Travel Committee and in the Senate under a Tourism and Marketing Committee. All members of the Mobile and Baldwin Legislative Delegations voted for the Bill except 3 who were not there when the bill was voted on. The Governor has offered no explanation or justification for this vicious law. To register protest http://www.governor.state.al.us/email/contact%20_form.htm |
| 2003 PHOTOS: I still need good clear photos of the following undocked (docked) breeds for the website. If you know anyone in your area with one of the following undocked versions of these docked breeds, please ask them to get in touch with me with a photo: |
| HYGIENE Regulations 2006 - No specific mention is made of dogs being admitted to food or other premises. However food establishments have to maintain hygiene standards and how they do that is left to the individual and a risk assessment. They are not compelled to ban dogs but can use the regulations as an excuse to do so and it is entirely at their own discretion. |
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| LEARNING TO UNDERSTAND YOUR DOG CD-Rom course on offer by the University of Edinburgh see website for details of cost etc. http://www.vet.ed.ed.ac.uk/animalbehaviour/ecourse/ |
| SPINNER of dog/cat/rabbit COMBINGS - Pam Gardner. Contact ADA for details!· |
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Quotes on judges at dog shows:- ‘The time he takes to judge a breed is directly related to the endurance of his bladder’.’ |
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| ‘DOGS LAUGH, BUT THEY LAUGH WITH THEIR TAILS’ – Max Eastman American writer and poet 1883-1969 |
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| ‘Histories are more full of examples of the fidelity of dogs than of friends.’ – Alexander Pope |
| ‘Dogs are our link to paradise. They don’t know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring – it was peace.’ – Milan Kundera |
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The Campaign Against the Docking of Dogs' Tails |