November 27, 2008
Via Email
Doberman Pinscher Club of Canada
Lendra Barker, President
c/o 98 Meadowbrook Drive
Beaverbank, Nova Scotia
The Canadian Kennel Club
200 Ronson Drive, Suite 400
Etobicoke, Ontario
M9W 5Z9
Attention: Joe Mauro, Chief Executive Officer
Dear Mr. Mauro,
Re: Anti Cropping and Docking Legislation
I am writing to you as the President of the Doberman Pinscher Club of Canada (“DPCC”) and also as a breeder and exhibitor of Dobermans in Canada. The members of this Club are very concerned about the lack of action on the part of the CKC in response to several different developments in Canada regarding the ability of dog fanciers in this country to have their dogs legally cropped and docked by a licensed veterinarian, in accordance with the breed standard for that dog.
I am sure you are aware of the recent bylaw approved by the New Brunswick VMA which effectively banned the performance of a variety of “cosmetic” surgeries, including cropping, docking and removal of dew claws, by their membership. This action was approved by the CVMA in a press release immediately thereafter and that step suggests support for other provinces in Canada to take the same step. We are advised that the PEIVMA is currently considering a similar bylaw proposal.
The CKC’s response to this development, so far as we’ve been able to determine, was a press release dated October 2, 2008 which was vaguely worded and, in our opinion, insufficient in terms of support for purebred dog fanciers whose dogs have CKC standards that allow or require cropping and/or docking. Last week the AVMA came out with a similarly worded statement to that issued by the CVMA immediately after the NBVMA passed their new bylaw. The AKC responded, in only a few days, with the press release which is appended below. We would encourage you to compare this statement with the one issued by the CKC in October, combined with the knowledge that the situation is actually far more serious in Canada than in the US, given that one province’s veterinary association has now banned cropping and docking and another one considering it, and then ask yourself if the CKC is doing all it can to protect the rights of purebred dog fanciers who wish to breed, own and exhibit their dogs in Canada in the form contemplated by their breed standard?
There is now an additional threat to the right to crop and dock in the Atlantic Provinces, in the form of Bill 186, introduced in the House of Assembly in Nova Scotia early in 2008. It is entitled The Animal Protection Act and deals with animal cruelty and protection legislation, much of it sorely needed to update the province’s existing animal cruelty laws. After the second reading of Bill 186 it was referred to the Law Amendment committee where the SPCA made a presentation, seeking an amendment to the Bill which would include the banning of so called “cosmetic” surgeries, including cropping, docking and the removal of dew claws. No other groups made presentations, as the effected breed clubs were unaware that the SPCA was making a request for such an amendment.
Bill 186 was passed into law earlier this week without the amendments regarding cosmetic surgeries. Leo Muise, who is the Executive Director at the Legislation and Compliance Branch of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries in NS advises that the issue of cosmetic surgeries will be considered in the context of the Regulations to be attached to the Bill. The first meetings to deal with the Regulations are set for April 2009 and the Regulatory Committee is prepared to have input from third parties on the issue. The SPCA is continuing to push its agenda with respect to this legislation. Right now they are not hearing from any other interest groups.
This is a scenario analogous to a “thin edge of the wedge” argument, in that we have one province where cropping and docking may no longer be available from a licensed veterinarian; a second province is considering following this step; and a third is contemplating Regulations that would ban cropping and docking all together. We have no idea what impact this legislation may have on people who already own cropped and docked dogs, on people who import cropped and docked dogs into the province or on people who take their litters outside the province to be cropped and then return with them to New Brunswick – would they still be guilty of an offence under the potential animal cruelty laws and subject to potential seizure of their dogs? The ability of individuals in the Atlantic Provinces to even own and exhibit purebred dogs that are cropped or docked is arguably going to be placed at risk if legislation such as that contemplated in these Regulations is allowed to pass.
When similar legislation, banning the cropping and docking of dogs, was passed in the various States in Australia the registration of Doberman Pinscher litters dropped by 80% over the succeeding 5 years. We have no reason to believe the response in this country would be any different as this is a breed whose very breed type, not to mention the purpose for which it was bred, contemplates a cropped and docked appearance.
The DPCC is extremely concerned about these developments and will be mounting a letter campaign to the entities involved and will also seek standing to make a presentation to the Regulatory Committee in New Brunswick next spring when they address this issue. However, we are only one breed club in this country and the governing body for all of the breed clubs appears to be doing nothing to address this urgent issue. Your press release in October made mention of a committee formed to address the issue, but our understanding is that committee was formed in June 2008 for the purpose of standard review, looking for instances of vagueness or lack of clear wording in standards which contained references to cropping and docking, mostly for the benefit of judges who had been complaining of a lack of clarity in some standards. The committee was not given the mandate to address the current developments in the Atlantic Provinces (so far as we know) and if their mandate has now been changed, we are suggesting to you that a more timely response is needed from the CKC than can be provided by a committee which was not expected to render its report on the standard review until next month.
The AKC took only a few days to come out with the strongly worded statement below. A special meeting of a committee formed by the AKC to address the cropping and docking issue among veterinarian associations in the United States has been scheduled to take place at the Eukanuba shows in California early next month. All of this was organized in a matter of days. We are asking for the CKC to start to take this matter seriously and to immediately take positive steps to demonstrate to the purebred dog fancy in Canada that you intend to support and uphold the standards of the various breeds that allow for cropping and docking; to confirm that these are acceptable practices, consistent with the history of the breeds and the function and purpose for which these dogs were bred. To describe them as cosmetic is inaccurate and misleading and that impression needs to be forcefully corrected.
The DPCC is prepared to assist the CKC in whatever way it can, but as a breed club we are looking to the CKC to take a leadership role on this issue. We are very disappointed with the response of the CKC to date. In order to remediate the slow reaction of the CKC on this issue, we are asking you to call a special meeting of the Board to put this matter forward as new business which requires the immediate attention of the Directors and the Staff of the CKC.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions regarding the foregoing. We look forward to your early reply.
Yours truly,
Doberman Pinscher Club of Canada
Lendra Barker
President
cc. by email to:
Lee Steeves, Zone 1
Dwain McLean, Zone 2
Francois Bernier, Zone 3
Kim Ramey-LeBlanc, Zone 4
John Hodgkinson, Zone 5
Al Bennett, Zone 6
Allan Pepper, Zone 7
Geraldine Taylor, Zone 8
John Werle, Zone 9
Anita Cairns, Zone 10
Margaret Jones, Zone 11
James Malcolm Campbell, Zone 12
_____________________________________________________________________
AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB STATEMENT ON AVMA EAR CROPPING AND TAIL DOCKING POLICY
New York, NY (November 21, 2008) -- The American Kennel Club(r) was advised this week of the AVMA's newly amended policy on ear cropping and tail docking following its adoption by the AVMA Executive Board at the recommendation of their Committee on Animal Welfare on November 15, 2008.
Historically, the AKC has worked closely with the AVMA to ensure that the rights of individual dog owners, and breed standards, remain protected. However, the AKC was very disappointed to not have been consulted regarding this latest iteration of the policy, despite having been in frequent contact with the AVMA in recent months.
At a joint meeting this Wednesday AKC explained to the AVMA that we recognize ear cropping and tail docking, as prescribed in certain breed standards, are acceptable practices integral to defining and preserving breed character, enhancing good health, and preventing injuries. These breed characteristics are procedures performed to insure the safety of dogs that on a daily basis perform heroic roles with Homeland Security, serve in the U.S. Military and at Police Departments protecting tens of thousands of communities throughout our nation as well as competing in the field.
Mislabeling these procedures as "cosmetic" is a severe mischaracterization that connotes a lack of respect and knowledge of history and the function of purebred dogs. Breed standards are established and maintained by AKC Parent Clubs (each of the 158 AKC registered breeds is stewarded by a breed-specific Parent Club) keeping foremost in mind the welfare of the breed and the function it was bred to perform.
As a not for profit organization that has been devoted to the advancement and welfare of dogs for 125 years, the AKC believes that all dog owners bear a special responsibility to their canine companions to provide proper care and humane treatment at all times and that responsible dog owners, in consultation with their veterinarian, have the right to make decisions regarding appropriate care and treatment of their pets.
AKC's policy on the issue, which remains unchanged, states:
The American Kennel Club recognizes that ear cropping, tail docking, and dewclaw removal, as described in certain breed standards, are acceptable practices integral to defining and preserving breed character and/or enhancing good health. Appropriate veterinary care should be provided.