The Animal Welfare Act bans tail docking with exemptions for Spaniels, Terriers and Hunt, Point, Retrieve breeds that will be used to work. However, it bans such dogs from the show ring at events where there is a paying gate. The Kennel Club lobbied Defra not to include a showing ban, as not only will it be extremely difficult to enforce this legislation, but it sends out an inconsistent message by allowing certain breeds of dogs to be docked on the one hand and punishing their owners for doing so on the other. The Kennel Club has drafted Parliamentary Questions asking Defra how it would deal with dogs with naturally bobbed tails.
The KC Annual Report 2006/7 can be viewed in its entirety at www.thekennelclub.org.uk
