Welcome to the latest edition of Tail Piece.

We would like to thank everyone who has sent in photographs of their pride and joys. They are absolutely delightful especially the puppy ones (but I am a sucker of puppies in any event). Most if not all are on this site under the photo section so everyone can see just how natural an undocked dog looks when it is complete!

SHOW SUCCESS

Well, there will definitely be one undocked dog attending Crufts 2001. On the 3rd June 2000 at Southern Counties Championship show my home bred pup Bertie (Jerakeen Equal Rites) qualified for Crufts 2001! I was so stunned that I left behind a £40 dog Sofa I had bought. Luckily it has been handed in people are obiviously more honest than I thought although I forgot the sofa it still didn't detract from Berties Win!

BERTIE AT 4 MONTHS

peggy Grayson is judging our breed next year at Crufts so she's in for a bit of a surprise, especially as she's stated that she would never judge an undocked dog! I wonder what she will do, will she notify the Kennel Club of her inability to judge an undocked dog?

Watch this space!

If you've had show successes with your undocked dogs, where they are breed classes, agility or any other dog 'sport' then let us know so we can put it up on this website and let everyone know how versatile undocked dogs can be, not having a tail doesn't stop them doing things!

BREEDERS PLEASE NOTE

Would all breeders registered with us please note that in order to get your puppies advertised on this website as soon as possible after they are born could they please ring Mandy (site administrator) on (01630) 652496 or email her at:

they will go up on this site under Dogs/Puppies for Sale/Wanted within the week and be up for a month.

Discover Dogs

I have just received information regarding Discover Dogs this November. The cost of a stand just 6 metres square is just a tad under £600.00!

so if any of you know how we can raise this money to enable us to attend (subject to KC approval!)

please let me know. Would any of you breeders os show goers be willing to have an A4 advertisement on our stand for about £10.00 (in colour and laminated of course). Are there any of you that would be willing to attend one or both days to help man the stall?

I look forward to hearing from you with your views on this.

Docking survey

The Council of Docked Breeds had a docking survey on their website.

Although, they are consideered the 'enemy',

so to speak, everyone should complete it so they get the correctratio of pro/anti on their survey. So if you're on the net complete their survey. It is on http://www.cdb.org/-question2.htm

VETS WHO DOCK

The Council for Docked Breeds still insist that 'many' vets continue to dock. However, I am getting an increasing number of calls from verterinary surgery's whose names and numbers have been given to people by the CDB who are claiming that they dock when they do not!

It is quite clear that the number of vets who dock are not as high as those claimed by the Council for Docked Breeds as they are trying to get a 'register' of lay persons who are 'qualified' or to be 'trained' to dock approved. This, surely, proves that there are not enough vets in enought locations who dock. What are your views on this?

I am also getting a number of calls from people who are unaware that docking can only be done legally by a qualified vet who have had their litters docked by people apparently connected to the Council for Docked Breeds. When questioned by the people who's litters they are docking they state that it is OK because they belong to the Council of Docked Breeds. This, of course, is completely illegal. So if you have any information regarding lay persons docking then please let me know and we'll see what we can do about it.

On top of this I am getting calls from people who are members of the Council for Docked Breeds who no longer wish to dock because they have lost so many puppies through docking! Who says that docking is harmless?

You're havin a larf!

The other day I received a telephone call from someone who said the he had been given my number by a vet ( I didn't catch the name) who said that I docked puppies. as I wasn't sure I had heard him correctly I asked him

to repeat himself in which he confirmed the above. To say I was stunned is putting it mildly! I put him straight on a few points!

EURoPEAN CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF PET ANIMALS

If you read the dog press then you will have realised all the hoo-haa going on about the European Convention fo the Protection of Pet Animals.

basically, for those of you who are not aware, the Royal college of Veterinary surgeons wants this convention signed and ratified by the British Government. Included in the wording is a clause prohibiting docking etc. The Council for Docked Breeds, of course, is dead set against this convention being signed and it would appear that the dog press are prepared only to print the Council for Docked Breeds oppinion and not htose of anyone else (not for the want of trying thought!).

There is some debate over whether there is a 'list' of breeds that would be banned if the convention was signed.

However, I am unable to track down any such list. I even checked the Council of Europe's own web site listing hte convention but was unable to trace any such clause!

I was invited by the RCVS to put forward my opinion as to whether the convention should be signed which I did within the alloted time allocation. I have not, to date, had a response. If I hear any further then I shall of course let you know.

DID YOU SEE

What a surprise I got when I opened up my dog World paper to see that they had printed my press release (albeit with a quote from our website rather than what I had said).

Why a surprise I hear you ask! Well Dog World have twice refused to let

us advertise in their paper because we were deemed too controverisal of were in direct competition with them!

However, instead of taking our money they went and printed all our details (correctly I might add) for free. We have already had our first responses to this free advertising. Yippee doo-dah!

You may have also noticed in the dog papers that I have been responding to as many pro-docking letters as possible. some of which are quite aggressive and nasty. One impied that all anit-dockers are narrow minded, stupid and ignorant. Yes they did print my reply which put the gentleman (if you can call him that) concerned straight on a few points ( in a tongue in cheek kind of way!).

SPREADING THE WORD

To ensure that we get the message across we will be holding a 'Tail Awareness' week from the 2nd to the 10th September. We are going to try to get as many events going as possible. If you can organise or have any suggestions as to how to spread the word e.g. posters etc. then please let me know and we'll see what we can do.

One suggestion we have had is that everyone should wear a tail for the day! We are also going to see if we can get the BBC to hold a debate on Kilroy or something during that week. I also believe that there is a program called 'Your Shout' and I'm going to try to see what that is all about.

We are also trying to see if hte Kennel Club will allow us to hold an informal dog show for Undocked Dogs only during that week and we should try to get a smany television companies, local papers etc. involved as possible. So if you do decide to run some sort of an event do contact your local papers or the freebie papers as the more publicity we get the better.

We are also going to try to get as many vets and such like involved. So spread the word to your own vets and get them to organise something. This will, of course, cost quite a few pennies but I think it will be worth it in the long run.

It may also be worth letting all your local radio stations know of our 'Tail Awareness' week as most of them do mention this kind of thing so hopefully that may get a few people pondering!

PETITION

You should have all received details about the petiution we are running. Please try and get as many signatures as possible, the more the merrier. If you have not received anything then please let me know as soon as possible, or download it from this website on the Join Us page.

The aim is to deliver the petition during out 'Tail Awareness ' week to Downing Street, together hopefully with the publicity that should surround it. So please get as many signatures as possible (my total alone stands at about 400) and return the completed forms to me a.s.a.p. in order that I can deliver as amy as possible to Downing Street.

This petition, however, will be an on going one and I will deliver boxes to Dowing Streeet each year during our 'Tail Awareness' week until such time as docking is banned.

CAR STICKERS

I am in the prcess of designing some car stickers for everyone of course , for distribution during our 'Tail Awarness' campainign. they will be five inch circles with our logo in the midddle and with the name of the Society, our web address and the words

STOP DOCKING - CARRY ON WAGGING!

on them in big bold letters. I think that should start to make an impact!

CELEBRITIES

do you think we should ge some celebrities on board to help us promote our cause?

If so drop Becky a line as to whether you feel this would achieve anything and, of course, who do you think we should approach? alternatively email Mandy

We are, currently , trying to get Rolf Harris involved in view of his work on Animal Hospital, which of course, is concerning the RSPCA's work who are themselves against docking and, personally, I beleive they could do a lot more!

FURTHER INFORMATION

For further information on the Society for the Promotion of Undocked Dogs then please contact Rebecca on (01702) 520645 or write to her at 38 the Bentleys, Southend-on-Sea, Essex SS2 6UJ. Or email Mandy