I was thinking the same thing. Of course, at the present moment this concept is foreign to me and therefore seems stranger and worse than cropping/docking a pet animal (for no reason other than aesthetic purposes), but in reality I think the only real difference is that one is a standard practice and one is a new trend. Honestly can't say I would do either to my pet dog. Ear piercing seems to be anthropomorphizing the animal to extremes, while cropping/docking would be a useless reason to cause my pet pain (regardless of how little time it lasts or at what point in the animal's life.)
**note the use of "pet" - I understand that these procedures serve more than aesthetic purposes in some working animals.
This all being said, I don't have any firm opinions as to whether either should be banned, etc. Just not something I'd do myself. Though if I saw a dog on the street with a hello kitty tatoo, earrings, and painted toes, I'd be hard pressed not to stare and at least laugh or roll my eyes. Cropped/docked, I wouldn't give them a second glance. One is perceived as normal - one isn't. Doesn't mean either is right.
**note the use of "pet" - I understand that these procedures serve more than aesthetic purposes in some working animals.
This all being said, I don't have any firm opinions as to whether either should be banned, etc. Just not something I'd do myself. Though if I saw a dog on the street with a hello kitty tatoo, earrings, and painted toes, I'd be hard pressed not to stare and at least laugh or roll my eyes. Cropped/docked, I wouldn't give them a second glance. One is perceived as normal - one isn't. Doesn't mean either is right.
Reiterating real quick.
I personally don't agree with ear cropping, either. Docking, I thought, served a purpose - For dogs who work with livestock and have docked tails, isn't it considered more humane to dock a tail that has a great chance of being crushed or snapped? Or for breeds with "brittle tails", a dog who might just break its own tail sometimes.. ? That is legitimate practice.. isn't it?(not rhetoric, heh)
The only way I would see it as being considerable is if the modification has a function. Without function, it isn't different from aesthetic cropping/docking whatsoever. I see no reason to subject an animal to the stress of anesthesia or pain, however small, just so you might like the look of them a little better. It's nuts.
To me it's slightly comparable to Mom who pierces her toddlers ears. Cool, Mom has her time to dress her daughter and outfit her however she pleases, but I feel like this should be a personal decision for the individual - why not let her wait and see? Even if she "won't remember the pain", it just seems ultimately pointless. And since a dog won't give you its consent, I don't think it should happen.
Not to mention.. anthropomorphization is prevalent enough, why take it to a greater level? It's not as though people don't degrade their dogs enough already.
..just as well, in reference to the picture just below the Hello Kitty tattoo.. if I saw that dog while casually walking, I would probably end up confronting the person attached to its leash. I still can't think of a reason as to why.
...just personal opinion and speculation
I personally don't agree with ear cropping, either. Docking, I thought, served a purpose - For dogs who work with livestock and have docked tails, isn't it considered more humane to dock a tail that has a great chance of being crushed or snapped? Or for breeds with "brittle tails", a dog who might just break its own tail sometimes.. ? That is legitimate practice.. isn't it?(not rhetoric, heh)
The only way I would see it as being considerable is if the modification has a function. Without function, it isn't different from aesthetic cropping/docking whatsoever. I see no reason to subject an animal to the stress of anesthesia or pain, however small, just so you might like the look of them a little better. It's nuts.
To me it's slightly comparable to Mom who pierces her toddlers ears. Cool, Mom has her time to dress her daughter and outfit her however she pleases, but I feel like this should be a personal decision for the individual - why not let her wait and see? Even if she "won't remember the pain", it just seems ultimately pointless. And since a dog won't give you its consent, I don't think it should happen.
Not to mention.. anthropomorphization is prevalent enough, why take it to a greater level? It's not as though people don't degrade their dogs enough already.
..just as well, in reference to the picture just below the Hello Kitty tattoo.. if I saw that dog while casually walking, I would probably end up confronting the person attached to its leash. I still can't think of a reason as to why.
...just personal opinion and speculation
I'm the opposite. I wish my parents would have got my ears pierced when I was little, because now I'm too chicken :rofl1:
However, I don't agree with piercing for dogs or other animals. Yes, it is less gruesome than cropping, but it is dangerous if it gets caught on something. And I don't agree with ear cropping either. I'd rather not dock either.
However, I don't agree with piercing for dogs or other animals. Yes, it is less gruesome than cropping, but it is dangerous if it gets caught on something. And I don't agree with ear cropping either. I'd rather not dock either.
Oh, that is so awesome! Bless you for doing that, Typh, really. Oh man, I'm about to cry just thinking about it! I've been having an emotional day today. Those dogs have the WORST conditions and the WORST odds of getting out alive. I'm going back again this summer to work again, and help the dogs as much as I can.
It really doesn't hurt at all if you get it done with one of those ear guns. I didn't feel a thing. Now, the only part that HURTS like hell is the fact that my ears (inside and out) are always getting infections, and puss always comes out of the holes now. BLEAQ. Not good. It was pointless to get them done in the first place, since now they hurt too bad to put earrings in them!
Bless you for doing that, Typh, really. Oh man, I'm about to cry just thinking about it! I've been having an emotional day today. Those dogs have the WORST conditions and the WORST odds of getting out alive. I'm going back again this summer to work again, and help the dogs as much as I can.It really doesn't hurt at all if you get it done with one of those ear guns. I didn't feel a thing. Now, the only part that HURTS like hell is the fact that my ears (inside and out) are always getting infections, and puss always comes out of the holes now. BLEAQ. Not good. It was pointless to get them done in the first place, since now they hurt too bad to put earrings in them!
I'm not a fan of it but I can see the comparison to cropping. Painful procedure for aesthetic purposes.
I don't agree with it but I do think it looks cute.
I'm a huge lover of piercings/tattoos on humans but wouldn't do it to a pet.
Considering tattooing can be used as a method of identification I can see the point in making it something more appealing than numbers and letters.
I don't agree with it but I do think it looks cute.
I'm a huge lover of piercings/tattoos on humans but wouldn't do it to a pet.
Considering tattooing can be used as a method of identification I can see the point in making it something more appealing than numbers and letters.
Well, it's their dog and the dog probably won't care past a couple of minutes. I mean, most people don't think it's a big deal and dogs are generally much more stoic ime.
It does seem like something that would get caught really easily and I guess a person would just have to exercise some caution and take it out or something when the dog is playing in the brush or whatever.
I don't like piercings or clothes or anything but a simple leather collar on my dog personally.
It does seem like something that would get caught really easily and I guess a person would just have to exercise some caution and take it out or something when the dog is playing in the brush or whatever.
I don't like piercings or clothes or anything but a simple leather collar on my dog personally.
It's different than cropping and docking because of future maintenance and upkeep. I worry about the piercing because of the snagging, not the pain involved, because as someone brought up. I don't like ear tags for the same reason though ... if cows played like my dogs, it wouldn't be a pretty sight in the field!
Personally, if I saw a dog pierced or tattooed, I'd think the owner was an a$$.
Leave your dog alone and go mutilate yourself if you want to. I don't think it should be illegal exactly; just like with cropping and docking, I just wish people would make the choice not to do it.
A registration number in the ear is common in stock dogs, but it is also a means of tracking the dog. If I find a border collie or kelpie running loose and it has a tattoo, I can use that to track the dog's origins. If I find a pitbull with Hello Kitty on its skin - well, how the heck is that going to help me find the owner? Sure, it could prove ownership if two people where claiming the dog was theirs, but it isn't an ID like a registration number.
Leave your dog alone and go mutilate yourself if you want to. I don't think it should be illegal exactly; just like with cropping and docking, I just wish people would make the choice not to do it.
A registration number in the ear is common in stock dogs, but it is also a means of tracking the dog. If I find a border collie or kelpie running loose and it has a tattoo, I can use that to track the dog's origins. If I find a pitbull with Hello Kitty on its skin - well, how the heck is that going to help me find the owner? Sure, it could prove ownership if two people where claiming the dog was theirs, but it isn't an ID like a registration number.
I don't know how to really verbalize this, but it's not the procedure itself that I find off putting. I'm sure that the pain can be minimized, etc.
It's just there is a natural perfection to a dog. Even to an imperfect dog. An effortless, unmanipulated by humans, grace aesthetically, imho. Which is why seeing a 'nude' sighthound coursing, or herder herding, etc, takes my breath away.
Permanently marring that with a cartoon tattoo or earrings seems disrepectful and just 'wrong' to me.
My dogs do wear clothes though. Functional ones, but I'm sure some people would disapprove. I'd rather some strangers frown and tut to themselves than my dogs get frostbite, so I can see where it's up to the owners to make these sort of decisions.
It's just there is a natural perfection to a dog. Even to an imperfect dog. An effortless, unmanipulated by humans, grace aesthetically, imho. Which is why seeing a 'nude' sighthound coursing, or herder herding, etc, takes my breath away.
Permanently marring that with a cartoon tattoo or earrings seems disrepectful and just 'wrong' to me.
My dogs do wear clothes though. Functional ones, but I'm sure some people would disapprove. I'd rather some strangers frown and tut to themselves than my dogs get frostbite, so I can see where it's up to the owners to make these sort of decisions.
Small hijack: I've heard that it's far better for you to get them pierced at an actual piercing parlor where they use needles and 16 gauge earrings. The guns use 18 gauge earrings most of the time and supposedly those rip out way too easy. Personally I've had mine pierced three times (all the same hole and all with those little guns) because they kept getting infected and I was too young and stupid to take care of them right so I kept letting them close up. Turned out that I'm allergic to metal (specifically cheap metal like nickel) and as long as I wear stainless steel or silver I don't have any problems (you might want to try that Smexy). Also I gauged my ears up awhile back (couldn't go too far, I have too much scar tissue) and since they've shrunk back down they haven't been infected or tried to close up once and that used to happen all the time.
I'll stop hijacking now.
I don't agree with piercing a dogs ears mostly because it's not something they can consent to. Of course they can't consent to speutering but that's something that I'd put in the "for their own good" category. I'm not a huge fan of docking or cropping either, unless it falls in that category.
I'll stop hijacking now.
I don't agree with piercing a dogs ears mostly because it's not something they can consent to. Of course they can't consent to speutering but that's something that I'd put in the "for their own good" category. I'm not a huge fan of docking or cropping either, unless it falls in that category.
Oh good I wanted to say something too. The thing with those guns is that they don't really have a good way to sterilize them and the earrings themselves are not particularly sharp. If you do it at a real piercing shop they'll use a really sharp needle (which can be sterilized) so it'll hurt less and heal better.
The thing with those guns is that they don't really have a good way to sterilize them and the earrings themselves are not particularly sharp. If you do it at a real piercing shop they'll use a really sharp needle (which can be sterilized) so it'll hurt less and heal better.
Agreed.
I saw a horse get hot branded once and I'd be willing to bet that was more painful than this is. Also, people get their infants ears pierced--I really don't see how that's different.
That having been said, I think piercings/tattoos (the cosmetic kind) on dogs look ridiculous and would never get it done on my own dogs.
I have to say that I did find getting my ears pierced with a gun painful though. Not anymore painful than getting my eyebrows waxed, but still painful.
I saw a horse get hot branded once and I'd be willing to bet that was more painful than this is. Also, people get their infants ears pierced--I really don't see how that's different.
That having been said, I think piercings/tattoos (the cosmetic kind) on dogs look ridiculous and would never get it done on my own dogs.
I have to say that I did find getting my ears pierced with a gun painful though. Not anymore painful than getting my eyebrows waxed, but still painful.