WARNING: Dock the tail of a puppy and face prosecution for animal cruelty
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The ISPCA has taken possession of a number of litters of puppies, while investigating separate allegations of illegal tail docking in different parts of the country in recent weeks.
All of the puppies were removed by ISPCA inspectors acting as authorised officers under the Animal Health and Welfare Act (AHWA) 2013, and taken to ISPCA Animal Centres for care and rehabilitation.
“The docking of puppies tails by a layperson was criminalised in 2014 on the introduction of the AHWA. While the law allows for the tails of certain breeds to be docked by a veterinary surgeon in limited circumstances, in practice most vets consider it to be a cruel and unnecessary mutilation, and will not perform the procedure," ISPCA chief inspector Conor Dowling said.