Acta Vet. Brno 2020, 89: 375-382
The legal implication of certain interventions prohibited by law in the United Kingdom and Slovakia – a review
Mutilation of dogs is an emotive and controversial subject for veterinarians and animal keepers. The elective docking of a dog’s tail is illegal under both UK and Slovak law except for specific breeds that are intended to be used for specific purposes while the elective cropping of dogs’ ears is illegal under all circumstances. In the EU, there is much variation between countries with some having a total ban on these procedures and others allowing elective ear cropping specifically. Under the current UK as well as Slovak legislation there is no legal requirement for a central monitoring of the number of docking procedures undertaken, therefore it is not possible to analyse the efficacy of the legislation, specifically, the monitoring of the number of legally docked dogs that are not eventually used for the purpose for which their exemption was granted. There is also no certification scheme for dogs undergoing ear cropping legally in EU countries that permit it. It is suggested that greater monitoring be implemented of the eventual use of docked dogs and the EU granting proof of legality to ear cropped dogs in order to understand how great a risk is posed by illegal docking and cropping procedures.
