AKC Gazette January 1993

Sad Lesson Learned

On September 14, 1992, at the Houston cluster of shows surrounding the American Boxer Club regional, a tragedy occurred. It happened to Boxers and a Boxer handler, but it could have happened to anyone.

Nine dogs died in an unventilated truck when the generator failed and with it, the air conditioning. One can only imagine the horror when the truck was opened early in the morning, prior to the show, and the situation became clear. Eight dogs survived, most of them in wire crates, not plastic ones. Ironically, several handlers noticed that the generator was not working late in the evening, but all assumed that the dogs must have been removed from the truck. The handler, who is a conscientious man and loves his dogs (four of his own were lost), has urged me to write this column with several thoughts in mind.

If you must leave your dogs, especially in hot weather, all of us should consider installing a heat sensor in our vehicles that will sound an alarm if the temperature reaches a certain level. They work equally well in extremes of cold. In addition, we should be careful with plastic crates in hot climates, or any solid crate that does not breathe especially well. Lastly, we should establish a network of people on the show grounds who will periodically check on our animals. One lady I know has a sign on the door of her truck that reads, "If the generator is off, find me and/or break in." There is no more eloquent testimony to the need for these precautions than the knowledge that next time, it could be our dogs and our tears.

Ear Cropping Controversy

In response to correspondence from the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Chairman of the Board of the AKC has written to national breed clubs whose dogs have cropped ears. The AKC requests input from those clubs and their members regarding their position on cosmetic ear surgery.

A letter from the AVMA to the American Boxer Club states:

"The Animal Welfare Committee of the American Veterinary Medical Association . . . is considering a stronger position statement on ear cropping, one that would classify the procedure as unnecessary cosmetic surgery, and which would recommend that dogs born after some future date and subsequently entered in show competition have natural ears."

It is clear from this letter that there is a strong sentiment on the part of some special interest groups (as well as individuals) to do away with ear cropping as we know it in the U.S., which has been the case for years in the United Kingdom. At a recent meeting of the American Boxer Club board of directors, the board voted to have our president, John Connolly, write a strong letter of protest urging that our freedom to crop ears not be infringed upon. I quote from that letter: "The American Boxer Club wishes to express our strongest opposition to any action by the AVMA denying us our right to continue the Boxer breed as it has been for almost 100 years.

"The Boxer is a hearing breed. Not only do the erect ears enhance the Boxer's looks, they also increase its hearing ability and help to avoid ear infections and hematomas. We would like to see the AVMA educate its colleagues on proper and safe techniques, rather than try to terminate a cosmetic procedure. This view of leaving animals natural is unrealistic. Do you intend to ban the declawing of cats, the clipping of flight feathers, beak trimming of birds or descenting of ferrets?

Spaying and neutering are certainly not natural procedures, nor are they medically necessary---they are elective procedures, as is ear cropping. The real danger of these radical groups is that they take issues like puppy mills and excessive breeding, that we are all against, and add their own agenda. I hope you are not going to stumble down the trail of the Europeans, who have been led down this path by the radical animal activists."

In order to preserve our right to choose to continue ear cropping in this country, we urge Boxer lovers to write to the AKC to express their opinions. It is our strong position that ear cropping, when properly done, does not inflict any lasting trauma on our beloved puppies. If ear cropping is banned, will tail docking and dew claw removal follow? The radical animal rights activists, the same people who sent terror through many a show ground last year, allegedly threatening to liberate our dogs from the safety of their crates, are writing legions of letters to the AKC protesting ear cropping. Their influence is strongly felt, and they enjoy a great financial backing. Please do not be complacent---it can happen here! Please express yourselves so that we may preserve our rights as we know them today.

Stephanie Abraham
P. O. Box 346
Scotland, CT 06264