This Petition is to: The Directors, Members of Governing Council or persons known by another name, who manage the affairs of a body which controls a State or Territory organization representing breeders of pure bred dogs. We, the undersigned are Members of a Canine Association, Council or other Canine Controlling Body which is a Member Body of the Australian National Kennel Council (ANKC). We hereby urge each Member Body of the ANKC to vote in support of the following Motion which the Tasmanian Canine Association (TCA) has placed on the Agenda of the October, 2008 ANKC Conference: “The ANKC recognize that tail shortening by banding is a prophylactic procedure in the young puppies of many dog breeds and that not withstanding such a benefit to the welfare of dogs, the complete ban of all forms of tail shortening is contrary to the good welfare of historically docked breeds of dogs. With this basis, the ANKC support the legalization of regulated tail banding by persons accredited to perform the procedure.” Explanatory notes - This Petition is not intended in any way to encourage activities which are contrary to State, Territory or Federal Laws, such as tail ’docking’ or ’banding’; it seeks the formal recognition of facts established for tail shortening & its legalization according to strict rules. For several reasons, we must continue to pursue the legalization of tail shortening by banding: 1. Because tail shortening is a prophylactic procedure (avoiding tail injuries & fly strike), 2. The abolition of all forms of tail shortening, which has occurred in some countries & Australian jurisdictions, is contrary to the best welfare of historically ‘docked’ breeds in that it has led to tail injuries, poor hip development & depletion of gene pools. 3. The decreased breeding of historically docked breeds by Registered Breeders has led to reduced availability as pets, which in turn leads families to purchase a ‘second choice’ dog; this scenario is facilitating ‘backyard puppy farmer’ activities & has led to increased dumping of unwanted pets. 4. Finally, we must seek legalization of tail banding because its abolition is a form of BSL (Breed Specific Legislation, ie., laws or regulations which result in reductions in the keeping & breeding of specified dog breeds). We can see that in European countries which banned ‘docking’ several years ago, Governments are now discussing regulations which will devastate the canine world. That is, there are proposals for restrictions on the breeding & keeping of dog breeds which are often regarded as dangerous (eg., Pit Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Terrier, German Shepherd Dog, Rottweiler), also dog breeds which animal welfare extremists say are so large that they are potentially dangerous (eg., > 45cm in height, or >15kg weight, eg., Std Schnauzer & Poodle, Labrador, Afghan Hound, Border Collie) & also breeds which those extremists declare to be “anatomically abnormal” (brachycephalic head, long body, long ears, etc., eg., Boxer, Griffon, Bulldog, Dachshund, Cocker Spaniel, Sharpei). The TCA Motion seeks to formalize the ANKC Member Body support which was given in Jan.-Feb.,’08 to the “Proposal for Legalization of Banding” (prepared by Prof./Dr.J.R.(Bob)Hales & submitted to the National Consultative Committee on Animal Welfare). For details see www.schnauzergiants.com PLEASE NOTE: The ANKC’s publicized official position on tail shortening is that it is not cruel, see http://www.ankc.org.au/home/inner.asppageid=110&mainID=2 "Sign the petition" "YOU MUST ENTER YOUR MEMBERSHIP No. IN THE 'Comments' SPACE"