Bid pitched to end dog tail docking 

The controversial practice of docking dogs' tails will effectively be banned if new proposals from a ministerial committee are adopted.

Currently, removing a dog's tail is an owners right, but under a draft animal welfare code owners will not be able to do it unless its carried out by a vet. However, vets will only perform the removal if there is a medical reason, which effectively bans the practice.

"It will aid animal welfare by stopping the causing of pain, both acute and long term," says Veterinary Association spokesperson Wayne Ricketts.

The Vets' Association says the practice is almost always used for cosmetic reasons, and while breeders agree, they are reluctant to change their practice.

"It is the essence of the breed that they are docked," says Council of Docked Breeds spokesperson Lesley Chalmers.

But docking does not appeal to all owner of breeds that typically have their tails removed.

"You can tell a lot about his personality and his mood by his tail, and it is also a point of difference because there's not many rotties with their tails still attached," says rottweiler owner Tineke Jennings.

Labour MP Dianne Yates introduced a bill seeking a ban on docking a few years ago but the controversy it generated meant that it did not get beyond a parliamentary select committee and was withdrawn last month.

It will be up to Minister of Agriculture Jim Anderton to decide whether to accept or reject the Animal Welfare Committee's final recommendations due at the end of the year.