How ridiculous to suggest that the entire dog showing world and economy in Ireland will collapse as a result of this! We own a docked Rottweiler and her undocked daughter and have to come to accept her tail, though admittedly it has taken some time getting used to. It can cause problems, like smashing things all over the house when she gets excited, but hey-ho those are the joys of dog ownership. The law has been in force in England since April 2007, so it's now quite strange to see them without tails! At the end of the day, it's issues like this that really separate dog lovers from those who just like to cash in. How shallow to say you will abandon the breed you profess to love, simply because they will have a tail!

#33: Stuart J - pure shallowness 

 No one is suggesting that the economy in Ireland will collapse as a result of a docking ban, the banks and government in Ireland take the credit for that .

 You obviously have not checked the facts ! Docked breeds account for at least 35% of entries at dog shows in Ireland. Without this income Dog Clubs cannot afford to run shows;  result = no shows for any exhibitors!

Uk Registrations for working breeds(UK Kennel club comparative tables of registrations ) Rottweilers down 67% on 2006, Dobermanns down 53% Boxers down 35% . This is reflected in entries at UK Championship Shows. Dobermann entries down 31%(Figures calculated by UK exhibitor who compiles figures for the UK breed clubs)

Who said that exhibitors will ABANDON their breed? A lot of people will no longer breed their dogs if they cannot have the breed looking exactly like the one they fell in love with and have exhibited for a lifetime (myself 30 years) because of health issues,threat of tail damage etc ( Dogs with docked tails significantly less likely to sustain tail injuries  = Veterinary Record July 2010)

Its all (or should be) about freedom of choice. Nothing shallow about that!