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Tail Docking and Ear Cropping Dogs: Public Awareness and Perceptions
Katelyn E Mills1, Jesse Robbins1, Marina A G von Keyserlingk1
1Animal Welfare Program, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Plos One
|June 28, 2016
Summary
Many people are unaware that tail docking and ear cropping are cosmetic surgeries. These procedures significantly alter perceptions of dogs and their owners, often associating them with negative traits.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary medicine
- Animal behavior
- Social psychology
Background:
- Tail docking and ear cropping are common cosmetic surgeries in dogs.
- Previous research on these practices primarily surveyed veterinary professionals and breeders.
- Public awareness and perception of these procedures remain largely unexamined.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess public awareness of tail docking and ear cropping.
- To determine if surgically altered dogs are perceived differently than unaltered dogs.
- To investigate how owners of altered dogs are perceived by the public.
Main Methods:
- Experiment 1 used explicit and implicit measures to gauge public awareness of ear cropping and tail docking.
- Experiment 2 presented participants with images of altered and natural dogs to assess perception differences.
- Experiment 3 examined perceptions of owners based on whether their dogs had undergone cosmetic alterations.
Main Results:
- A significant portion of the public (42%) could not explain why dogs have docked tails or cropped ears, often attributing these traits to genetics.
- Dogs with cropped ears and docked tails were perceived as more aggressive, dominant, and less attractive.
- Owners of modified dogs were perceived as more aggressive, narcissistic, and less warm compared to owners of natural dogs.
Conclusions:
- Public awareness of cosmetic canine surgeries like tail docking and ear cropping is low.
- These procedures influence the perception of both the dogs and their owners.
- The study highlights the significant impact of cosmetic alterations on social perception, despite a lack of public knowledge.
