SGA Chairman Alex Hogg made the following announcement to the media immediately after a vote in the Scottish Parliament on 21st June 2017 which saw tail shortening for two breeds of working dogs approved.
“This is recompense for all working Spaniels and HPRs who have had to endure 10 years of painful injuries. The ban on tail docking in 2007 was made with good intentions but failed to account for working dogs, whose jobs are very specific. The welfare of these animals was compromised by the legislation and Scottish Government deserve immense credit for taking a progressive, evidence-based step to rectify that today.
“Some have conflated tail shortening with full tail docking, which leaves dogs with only a stump. This is the opposite. It is a quick, preventative procedure protecting the animal over its whole working life, leaving it with an expressive, waggy tail.
“Failure to act, when Glasgow University research showed that over 1 in 2 Spaniels, without shortened tails, were injured in a single season, would have been to turn a blind eye to suffering.
The Scottish Government, rural vets who have experienced the welfare issues first hand, and all other MSPs who have supported working dogs, can be assured that what they have done is the right thing."
“Some have conflated tail shortening with full tail docking, which leaves dogs with only a stump. This is the opposite. It is a quick, preventative procedure protecting the animal over its whole working life, leaving it with an expressive, waggy tail.
“Failure to act, when Glasgow University research showed that over 1 in 2 Spaniels, without shortened tails, were injured in a single season, would have been to turn a blind eye to suffering.
The Scottish Government, rural vets who have experienced the welfare issues first hand, and all other MSPs who have supported working dogs, can be assured that what they have done is the right thing."
Ends.
