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Senate committee to endorse ban on cropping of dogs' ears
January 28, 2006
MONTPELIER, Vt. --Legislation to ban the cosmetic surgery of cropping a dog's ears appears likely to win endorsement of a Senate committee.
January 28, 2006
Four of the five members of the Senate Judiciary Committee said they plan to support the bill. Those comments came after veterinarians said they backed the ban.
"We are a group of medical professionals, but this is not medicine," said Karen Bradley, a Montpelier vet. "Just because it is a procedure we do does not mean it is right."
Ear cropping involves slicing off the back half of a dog's ear and then resetting it usually with tape when the dog is between 12 and 14 weeks old.
The cosmetic procedure is already banned in many European countries, as well as Australia and New Zealand, they said.
"I listened to the evidence, and the evidence said for us to become the first state in the union to ban this is a good thing," said Sen. Richard Sears, D-Bennington, the committee's chairman.
"There is still a long way to go" before a ban becomes law, Sears said. "But we will continue to push to see if we can get support."
Dog breeders oppose the ban. Out-of-state dog owners have threatened to boycott Vermont's three dog shows if ear-cropping is banned, they said.
The three shows, all held in Essex on consecutive days in July, bring the state an estimated $225,000 annually, they said.
"You can't imagine the furor that will come," said Ed Peterson, founder of the Vermont Federation of Dog Clubs. "It may affect us very materially."
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January 28, 2006
MONTPELIER, Vt. --Legislation to ban the cosmetic surgery of cropping a dog's ears appears likely to win endorsement of a Senate committee.
January 28, 2006
Four of the five members of the Senate Judiciary Committee said they plan to support the bill. Those comments came after veterinarians said they backed the ban.
"We are a group of medical professionals, but this is not medicine," said Karen Bradley, a Montpelier vet. "Just because it is a procedure we do does not mean it is right."
Ear cropping involves slicing off the back half of a dog's ear and then resetting it usually with tape when the dog is between 12 and 14 weeks old.
The cosmetic procedure is already banned in many European countries, as well as Australia and New Zealand, they said.
"I listened to the evidence, and the evidence said for us to become the first state in the union to ban this is a good thing," said Sen. Richard Sears, D-Bennington, the committee's chairman.
"There is still a long way to go" before a ban becomes law, Sears said. "But we will continue to push to see if we can get support."
Dog breeders oppose the ban. Out-of-state dog owners have threatened to boycott Vermont's three dog shows if ear-cropping is banned, they said.
The three shows, all held in Essex on consecutive days in July, bring the state an estimated $225,000 annually, they said.
"You can't imagine the furor that will come," said Ed Peterson, founder of the Vermont Federation of Dog Clubs. "It may affect us very materially."
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