Is routine tail docking of dogs banned Australia-wide?
Yes. In 2002, the Primary Industries Ministerial Council (PIMC) agreed in principle to a nationally coordinated ban on the routine tail docking of dogs for non-therapeutic purposes. As each state and territory has its own animal welfare laws, and each one has to bring in its own ban. In early October 2003, the PIMC agreed that all jurisdictions will implement the ban as soon as practical and no later than 1 April 2004. The key elements of the ban are that non-therapeutic tail docking of dogs will be prohibited and only veterinarians may conduct only therapeutic tail docking. It has been traditional to dock the tails of some dog breeds for hundreds of years. Why ban it now? One of the ACPA’s objectives is to protect animals from unjustifiable, unnecessary or unreasonable pain, distress or suffering – in other words, cruelty. Although it is never possible to assess the level of pain an animal experiences, the evidence available indicates that tail docking may be associated with acute and
