Many people want pets with cropped tails and ears, but this is a cruel practice that can hurt the animal.
Hong Kong experts are calling for stronger animal cruelty laws to stop cases of dogs being harmed and killed. Their calls for immediate amendments to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance came after the tragic death of a two-month-old female Doberman puppy from infections resulting from ear cropping.
The puppy was discovered abandoned in Cherry Street Park near Yau Ma Tei, with 8cm (3 inches) incisions in its ears.
Mark Mak Chi-ho is the founder of the non-profit group, Veterinary Services Society. He said ear clipping and tail docking were still very common in Hong Kong.
Historically, ear cropping was done to prevent injury in some working dog breeds.
But nowadays, owners do this to Dobermans – which have naturally floppy ears – to make them look a certain way, Mak said.
“Dobermans are a larger and fiercer breed, so they make their owners seem powerful when walking alongside,” he said.
Fun day of woofs and walks for animal welfare at Dogathon
The painful cosmetic procedure is banned in the United Kingdom, most of Europe, Australia and New Zealand, but is still unregulated in most Asian countries.
“If as a society we do not have that morality and civility, and there is no regulation from the government, animals become a product that is shaped according to the market’s needs,” Mak said.
“Breeders crop these dogs’ ears and tails when they are puppies to make them more marketable.”
He pointed to poodles and corgis, which are often seen in Hong Kong with short, round tails that make them look cute.
“Dogs use their tails to communicate, to express their fear, anger or show signs of aggression or happiness,” he said.
“Docking their tails is inhumane. As a society, if we are indifferent to it and the government does not regulate it, then it will keep happening.”
Although nearly 500 animal cruelty cases were reported in the first nine months of 2024, the prosecution rate was only 3 per cent, official figures showed.
Animal cruelty is punishable by up to three years in jail and a fine of HK$200,000 (US$25,480) upon conviction.
In 2016, a poodle owner was prosecuted for animal cruelty and jailed for four weeks after he let a stranger tie the dog’s tail for docking, thinking it would be painless and beautify the animal.
The owner brought his pet to Mak’s clinic after discovering the poodle’s tail was severely injured days after it was tied. Mak reported the case to the police.
Mak said guidelines for Hong Kong vets on their conduct prohibited them from carrying out such mutilations for aesthetic reasons.
“For example, if a dog’s tail was run over by a car and needs to be amputated, then it is allowed, for the welfare of the animal,” he said.
Since 2019, the ordinance has been under review with proposals for amendments to increase penalties and strengthen animal welfare.
This included making mutilations that “cause unnecessary suffering for the animal for non-medical reasons” an offence, including tail docking, ear cropping, debarking surgery and removing cats’ claws.
“A registered veterinary surgeon may only carry out the restricted procedures on an animal if he or she reasonably considers that it is in the interest of the animal to do so,” a suggested amendment said.
