The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-09-10
pocGY's EARS.


mel Club has takep the initiative, and it's
Official action will doubtless be followed
| in America.
The Prince OF Wales is back OF the
movement and the Kennel Clubs action
has already gone into effect. The Kennel
Club has ruled that no dog born after
March 81 last IL cropped could win
prize at any bench show in Great Britain.
OF course the law does not meet with
the approval OF the lower ranks of En-
glish dog fanciers who derive consider
able revenue from scientific cropping.
They at first began 10 disobey the ruling,
but the cruelty TO animals folk stepped
in and one chap was given months hard
labor for cropping puppy's ears. 1t APP
pears that the Royal Society for the Pre-
vention of Cruelty to Animals has long
opposed cropping and the action OF the
Kennel Club assisted materially in en-
forcing the laws already passed on the
subject.
A resolution against cropping was in
troduced at the American Kennel Club
meeting in July, and the question is to
be voted upon at the next meeting, on
Sept. II. The Canadian Kennel Club,
al its meeting in Toronto, on Sept. 10,
will also consider the cropping matter.
There is no doubt that both societies will
endorse the action OF the English Ken
mel Club and pronounce against cropping.
The rule to be adopted by the American
Kennel Club is "that no dog cropped
after June 30, 1895, can be competitor
for any prize offered at show held under
A. X. G. rules.
As the cropping is never done until a
dog is seven months old, the passage of
this rule will put an immediate end TO
the practice. The mem bership of the
American Kennel Club includes every
kennel speciality and field trial club in
the United States, and every prom mt
dog breeder. Mr.. AUGUST BELMONT is
it's president. In all matters connected
with blue-blooded dogs its rulings are
ipfallible. Any rule passed against
cropping will be at once accepted as
binding by bench show exhibitors and
gentlemen owners. Should the dog deal
ers persist in cropping, the American
Society for the Prevention OF Cruelty TO
Animals will attend 10 them. So long
as cropping was necessary TO make u dog
valuable for show purposes, neither the
American nor the English s. p. C. A.
could obtain conviction. Humanita-
rians have an interest, therefore, in the
September meeting.
A cutting away of lobe Of the ear to
a narrow slit with sharp point is the
mutilation objected to. The chief breed
ers affected by the new rule are bull ter
riers, black -and-ta terriers, white En-
glish, Irish and Scottish terriers, York
shires, the new American breed. Boston
terriers, and Great Danes. TIE natural
ear flares over and Is lined with a mat of
hair, protecting to the orifice, the dog
having the power Of pricking or erect
ing the ears when listening intently.
The natural covering keeps du,t out of
the ear, and, it is said, increases and pro-
longs the sense of hearing. 1t is maintain
cd that cropping promotes deafness, but
this is not thoroughly proved. Some
bull terriers are deaf, but experts hold
this due to albinoism rather than to
clipping. One OF the largest breeders OF
black who has always cropped,
says he has never heard OF deaf black
and-tan.
In the case OF bull terriers the practice
arose when dogs were used in the fight
ing pits. 1t was thought more humane
to crop the ear flaps than to have them
torn off by an opponent in battle. In the
other breeds cropping is merely a fash
ion. The cruelty is not alone in the crop
ping. The remnant must stand up in a
jaunty way, and, as the ear would often
"crinkle," or grow crooked I'm healing,
it is the practice TO "pull' the shreds OF
flesh freqaently-a most tormenting pro-
cess-until the proper shape is assured.
The credit for the abolition OF cropping
is said to be largely due to the Irish ter
rier club, which announced three years
ago that cropped dogs could not compete
for the valuable special prizes 1t offers to
the bench shows in the United Kingdom.
Since then the Irish terriers brought out
have not had clipped ears, and they di-