The act of docking a non-working dog's tail should not be legal

Before I begin my summary and conclusion, I would like to point out that CON was unable to respond to my argument that tail docking causes tail dock neuroma. (S)He also didn't respond to my argument that a dog's tail is important when it comes to communicating, consider the fact that even if dog's were given anaesthetics while docking the tail, tail docking can cause long-term pain or respond to the fact that dogs with docked tails don't look any nicer than dogs with un-docked tails. *Note: Sources are not necessary in summary*SUMMARY OF PRO'S ARGUMENTS:A dog's tail is a tool for communication. Emily Anthes stated: 'My dog’s tail is a study in perpetual motion. It wags when he’s happy and when he’s nervous, when he leaves a room and when he enters one, when he stands in a doorway snorting at me in an attempt to communicate his desperate desire for a walk or a toy or a treat. Even late at night, when I’m reading in bed and he’s asleep on the floor beside me, I’ll hear the thwap! thwap! thwap! of his tail, twitching while he slumbers. ' A recent study where real dogs were to approach a fake dog with its tail in different positions each time stated: 'These dogs were most likely to approach the robotic model when the robot had a long, moving tail. (They did so 91.4% of the time. ) That makes sense, the researchers say. “Because the long tail was @258;exible, the simulated motion appeared to us to resemble that of a loose, wagging tail of a real dog,” they write. This kind of loose wag is often an invitation to play–and a social signal that the wagging dog means no harm. On the other hand, a dog that is holding its tail perfectly still isn’t giving off such obvious “come hither” signals, and large dogs approached the robot with a long, still tail significantly less frequently–only 74.4% of the time. But when the researchers swapped the long tail for the short one, these preferences disappeared. Large dogs approached a short-tailed robot with a wagging tail just as often as one with a motionless tail (85.2% and 82.2% of the time, respectively). These findings suggest that the dogs were less able to discriminate between a tail that’s wagging playfully and one that’s standing still and erect when the tail itself is short. ' Finally, a dog has two anal glands that give off the dog's scent to other dogs, and when that scent is released, the tail wags, acting as a fan to blow the scent around. A canine's tail also helps it with agility, allowing it to 'A dog’s tail performs various important functions; it provides the counterbalance necessary to perform difficult maneuvers such as climbing, jumping or walking along slim structures. Many fast running dogs have long, slender tails that improve their agility and serve as a counterbalance when they make sharp turns while traveling at high speeds. By contrast, dogs bred for swimming usually have thick, strong tails that can function as a rudder in the water. Sled dogs are known for their fluffy, bushy tails that serve as insulation. At rest, these dogs often wrap their tails over their faces to shelter themselves from the frigid weather. So there you have it. A dog’s tail does more than simply wag when he’s happy. Now you can impress your friends and family with dog tail trivia. ' While a domesticated dog is probably not going to need these agility skills, it could still save the dog in the rare occasion that it gets chased or any other similar situation. Tail docking causes long-term and short-term pain in a dog. Anaesthetics are generally not given to numb the pain, and if people aren't going to give anaesthetics then tail docking should be banned. Also, the article 'Canine Tail Docking FAQ,' states: Tailing docking is painful. The intensity or duration of the pain under ideal or typical circumstances is difficult to quantify. Painful procedures conducted in the neonatal period when the nervous system is vulnerable can result in negative long-term changes which affect how pain is processed and perceived later in life. ' That is yet another reason tail docking should be banned. Dog's tails are docked usually to look nicer, which is totally unfair because docking a dog's tail removes its primary ability to communicate, removes it agility and gives the dog long and short-term pain. I've also demonstrated that a tail-docked-dog doesn't even look nicer than a non-tail-docked-dog: Tail-Docked Doberman Non-Tail-Docked DobermanFinally, docking a dog's tail causes something called tail dock neuroma. The article 'Ear Cropping and Tail Docking; Should You or Shouldn't You? ' states: 'Docked tails can also develop a neuroma, or nerve tumor. This can cause pain and make your dog snappy if her tail is touched. Studies show that dogs communicate emotions like anger and excitement by wagging their tails, so docking 'may interfere with your dog’s ability to interact with other dogs,' says Andy Roark, a veterinarian at Cleveland Park Animal Hospital in Greenville, S. C. ' Also, Also, the article 'Confession of the Week: My Dog Eats his Tail' states: ''Ever since we brought Logan home, he’s always bothered with his nub (aka his tail). I remember pointing out to the vet on his first puppy check-up, the irritated scab he had on the tip of his little nub. The vet said it looked that Logan was chewing on his tail. So, with that, they gave him 10 days worth of anti-biotics (which I gave him), to help with the healing, and was told to keep an eye on it. ' It then says: 'A friend of mine, who’s also a Doberman mom, was able to track down some very interesting information for me. I think Logan’s tail has a name. TAIL DOCK NEUROMA. Have you ever heard of this? Nope. I’ve never heard of it either. Amputation neuromas (traumatic neuromas) are non-neoplastic, disorganized proliferations of peripheral nerve parenchyma and stroma that form in response to amputation or traumatic injury. They are most commonly identified after tail docking in dogs or neurectomy in the distal extremities of horses. The most common clinical presentation is a young dog that continuously traumatizes its docked tail. In horses, such a lesion appears as a firm, often painful swelling at a neurectomy surgery site. Excision is curative. Neurofibromas and neurofibrosarcomas (perineuromas, neurilemmomas, nerve sheath tumors, hemangiopericytomas, neurothekomas, schwannomas) are spindle-cell tumors that arise from the connective tissue components of the peripheral nerve. They are believed to arise from Schwann cells, but they could also arise from mesenchymal cells, which produce the nonmyelinated connective tissues that surround the myelinated nerve fiber. In dogs, forms of this tumor can be virtually indistinguishable from hemangiopericytomas and may be the same tumor. CONCLUSION OF PRO'S ARGUMENTS:Dog tail docking interferes with its ability to communicate with other dogs and humans, makes the dog less agile, which could save its life in a situation such as a dog chasing it, regardless of what caused the situation that is life-threatening; causes long-term and short-term pain; is usually performed to make the dog look nicer, which is unfair because it causes pain and reduces agility and communication skills; and causes tail dock neuroma, a condition which 'neuroma, or nerve tumor. This can cause pain and make your dog snappy if her tail is touched. ' This is why docking a dog's tail should not be legal. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------CON cannot rebut anything I said in round 4, just as I haven't.