[MeadowCat]

Because our breed standard calls for a cropped ear in this country, it's much harder to find a quality breeder that will leave the ears natural for you. It can be done, but it's likely you will need to expand your search farther than your immediate area, and probably expand your wait time. If you're willing to do that, I think we can come up with some breeders for you to contact. There are now some good, ethical breeders that are willing to leave pups uncropped for people that have a track record of owning Dobermans.

 

[MeadowCat]

Thank you for that referral.

I understand, health is my main concern for the new pup which is why I'm looking at breeders than pet stores or BYBs. I just prefer natural ears because of my own ethical beliefs and I have found that it is going against breeder requirements -- so the search for a pup has been a very very slow process. I don't think cropping dobermans is wrong or anything, it's just a result of my experiences. I live in NYC and I've worked with a lot of animals that have cropped ears, who shouldn't have cropped ears; and some just look butchered. It's heartbreaking. If my dobies aren't going into shows, I don't find it necessary to crop my pets.

Of course life is not without a sense of irony, and my dog breed has cropped ears as part of its standard.

I just can't bring myself to crop my doberman ears without feeling like a hypocrite. I'll feel like I'm betraying all of those dogs.. (and cats, unbelievably - there are some messed up people out there)

While I can respect your beliefs, I'd also urge you to do some research on quality crops. Puppies cropped at a reputable cropping vet don't have pain, and come home happy and are playing with their siblings. There's a world of difference. Consider that the surgery we do on dogs to spay and neuter them is far more invasive than a cropping surgery. Dogs from ethical breeders have beautiful ears that represent our breed. It's no more a betrayal of your dog to crop their ears than it is to spay a bitch.

This is an excellent read by a veterinarian: https://www.naiaonline.org/articles...rLX2cb0gVJ4c4c6Tk2JmhwNM#sthash.jO2AN27I.dpbs