Why Golden Retriever Ear Cropping Is Cruel

Ear cropping is by far the most controversial of the elected procedures. Many veterinarians who have no problem with tail docks or dewclaw removals do not crop ears, and some are lobbying the American Veterinary Medical Association to condemn the procedure.

Ear cropping entails slicing an anesthetized golden retriever puppy’s ear flap to a shape and length preferred for the particular breed and then bandaging what’s left on splints or racks to heal. This procedure is not painless by any definition, although untold thousands of dogs have come through it with no apparent longterm psychological damage.

In England and Germany, ear cropping is banned as cruel. No such laws exist today in the United States and Canada. As long as the breed clubs that write the standards insist on this practice, many pet owners will follow suit.

It is urged that you do not crop your puppy’s ears! Cropping is a matter of tradition and familiarity, and the more uncropped dogs are seen and loved, the more comfortable others will be with leaving their puppy’s ears alone. Perhaps in time, even the breed clubs that defend ear cropping so vigorously will relax on the issue - and this senseless tradition will fade away.