"God made the perfect Boxer, the only problem is, he is a classic brindle with uncropped ears, so no one is paying attention"
Ear Cropping
I've recently read alot of material on ear cropping. Personally I do not like the look of cropped ears, because it makes a Boxer look mean and intimidating, which is not what a Boxer is to me. Maybe it was important 100 years ago when Boxers were used to hold down wild game, in order for their ears not to be ripped off, but we're in an enlightened age where that is no longer necesssary. We don't have public hangings anymore either:) So why do we persist on cropping our Boxer's ears, causing them pain and possibly ruining the beautiful Boxer head when those ears don't want to stand.
I love looking at pictures of champion Boxers from Germany, Norway, Sweden, England, Australia etc.......They are such fantastic specimens of the Boxer. So why can't we appreciate the natural Boxer in America? Are we so stuck on our traditions and scared of change that we can't see what we're doing to our dogs? A few years ago the AKC ammended their rules to allow Boxers to compete in shows with uncropped ears. That is a good start, but, have you seen any uncropped Boxers win points or championships? How many champion Boxers have you seen that don't have perfect white markings and long straight standing ears? I haven't seen any. Now maybe their out there and I just haven't seen them, but I look at alot of Boxer web sites, so they must be really far and few between. I would love to see some brave show people, show their Boxers uncropped and prove that their dogs are wonderful specimens with or without cropping.
Ear cropping is done primarily for the purpose of showing. We make our dogs go through a painful surgery and take the chance of ruining them for life to prove how good they are (sounds a little odd doesn't it?) To me, it is.
Ear cropping is not a simple, painless procedure as some would like you to believe. Removing chunks of cartilage and stitching your dog up from the ear clear down into the jaw is not simple and is painful. When your vet prescribes your dog pain medication, that's a pretty good indication that it hurts!
I was happy to read that activists in America are protesting ear cropping and trying to ban it. I hope they can succeed because if it is illegal, then all our champion show dogs will be uncropped beautiful Boxer's and not only will we quit hurting our dogs for such a silly reason, but, those show people will save alot of money and won't have to throw their efforts away in the ring or ruin the look af their dog for life just to win a chamionship.
P.S. For those of you who justify ear cropping by saying the dog has less ear infections and it's easier to clean. Helpful hint: Pick up the dogs ear and clean it out. Science does not agree with you.
Amy's letter:
I wonder if you get a lot of nasty e-mail or responses about your stand on ear cropping? I feel exactly the same way, and I know I've received my fair share of complaints. I think I sued the word "cruel" and boy were people ALL over me about that. But, my opinion still stands, I couldn't dream of causing my dog pain like that on purpose. The Boxer I showed, Clyde, had natural ears, and he was the most gorgeous dog in the ring! In his first show he took home six ribbons, he won 1st Working Group and Best of Breed in Puppy Sweeps, and then took 2nd Working Group, Best of Breed, and Best of Opposite Sex. As far as less ear infections in dogs that have cropped ears or ears that stand up naturally, I think it's actually the opposite - they're more exposed to elements and moisture and I know the GSD has a lot more problems with ear infections that floppy eared dogs, whereas floppy ears cover the ear canal and help to keep the elements out. My female, Ava, had only one ear infection, Clyde had zero.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts Amy:) Sue
Yay for you!! I have a 14 yr old minpin who is natural earred. I had strangers even offer to pay for ear cropping and warn me that he would get ear infections if I didn't cut off half his ears. Well they used the word "crop" but basically, that's waht it is!
In all of his 14 years, he has not ONCE had an ear infection. Never.
Our family plans to get a boxer in the future and we will leave the ears intact. They are gorgeous just the way they are.
As a groomer, if others want to argue the "ear infection" theory, then ALL cocker spaniels, golden retrievers, poodles, shih tzus, lhasas and so on, should be, without a doubt, cropped. Let's get the breeders to change the breed standard because obviously, it's a major, huge, important thing in dobes, boxers, staffies, etc.
Groan :)
I have bookmarked your webpage, your dog is gorgeous!
Thanks for your support Tiffani!!!:)
