crazyforlatin Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 (edited) The dog is at the shelter and I think her ear tips, perhaps even as far as 1/3, were cut. She's 7 months old and the shelter doesn't know much about her except that she is a stray. Her coat is shiny, clean, and short, and she appears calm and mellow. Why would someone have cut her ears? Her tail is short and may have been cut too. I've never raised a dog, but would like to now as DD seems to love dogs. Am I taking on too much? She is part Australian Cattle Dog, hound, and maybe something else. Would the dog eventually "forget" the abuse? Would any previous abuse affect the way she interacts with DD who is 6? Edited January 21, 2012 by crazyforlatin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Best pup I ever had was a rescue from the pound and part ACD. IME rescued dogs are so grateful that they love you double. Seven months is pretty young, I'd go for it. Sometimes people cut ACD tails, but not ears...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pqr Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Some breeds have ears cropped in order to get them to stand up. Without seeing a picture one can only speculate that this may have been the intent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 I'm not sure why this would make you hesitate? It used to be the norm for many breeds and I think is even still in the standards for many in the US. It's barbaric but it won't affect what kind of dog it will be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted January 21, 2012 Author Share Posted January 21, 2012 (edited) Best pup I ever had was a rescue from the pound and part ACD. IME rescued dogs are so grateful that they love you double. Seven months is pretty young, I'd go for it. Sometimes people cut ACD tails, but not ears...... Does she look like an ACD? She's small, lighter than a child, probably slightly smaller than a 1st/2nd grader. The nurse mentioned that pit bulls and other dogs that fight pit bulls have their ears cut. Edited January 21, 2012 by crazyforlatin Let me try pasting a photo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excelsior! Academy Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Some breeds have ears cropped in order to get them to stand up. Without seeing a picture one can only speculate that this may have been the intent. :iagree: It won't affect the dog's temperment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Does she look like an ACD? She's small, lighter than a child, probably slightly smaller than a 1st/2nd grader. The nurse mentioned that pit bulls and other dogs that fight pit bulls have their ears cut. yes, I'd say her ears have been done and her tail docked. She doesn't really look like any of the breeds that normally have that done though that I can think of, the effect is really rather odd aesthetically speaking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 I would not worry that cutting the dog's ears/tails would make it vicious. You always take a risk with any dog at the shelter, but if she interacts well with you and is calm/mellow, that's a good sign. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted January 21, 2012 Author Share Posted January 21, 2012 yes, I'd say her ears have been done and her tail docked. She doesn't really look like any of the breeds that normally have that done though that I can think of, the effect is really rather odd aesthetically speaking! She looks like a lab, but she's so small. People are going to be wondering why I docked her tail and cut her ears :glare:. If a dog can be described as humble, then she is. She is not aggressive from what I saw, but I need more time to observe her. The shelter did say that she is active, so I need to give her a lot of training and exercise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Does she look like an ACD? She's small, lighter than a child, probably slightly smaller than a 1st/2nd grader. The nurse mentioned that pit bulls and other dogs that fight pit bulls have their ears cut. She's darling but she doesn't look ACD-ish to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 She is ADORABLE. Patience, kindness and love will go a long way with her. How did she interact with your dd? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted January 21, 2012 Author Share Posted January 21, 2012 She is ADORABLE. Patience, kindness and love will go a long way with her. How did she interact with your dd? We're going tomorrow morning to let DD play with her. DD wants a chihuahua but I'm just not sure if DD can be consistently gentle with one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Chihuahuas are mean! I think the pup is lovely, and if she is gentle I say bring her home! It could be that she was cropped to be a fighter, and isn't the fighting type, so they got rid of her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetMissMagnolia Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 yeah....our min pin had her tail "docked" before we got her....wouldn't have mattered to us either way-we're glad they didn't do her ears--we love her floppy ears.....yeah some breeders do it to some breeds-I know doberman pinschers and other breeds have it done....I agree if the pup is friendly and you like it bring it home..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmulcahy Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Some people cut a dogs ears and tail as a pup when they plan on using them in dog fights. The ears and tail are something that other dogs can hold onto during a fight. It is sick and it is sad, but it is common. Docking the ears is different than cutting them as short as nubs. Docking the ears makes the ears stand up as opposed to allowing them to flop. When ears are cut down to nubs it is generally for the purpose of fighting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beaners Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 It could be that she was cropped to be a fighter, and isn't the fighting type, so they got rid of her. Some people cut a dogs ears and tail as a pup when they plan on using them in dog fights. The ears and tail are something that other dogs can hold onto during a fight. It is sick and it is sad, but it is common. Docking the ears is different than cutting them as short as nubs. Docking the ears makes the ears stand up as opposed to allowing them to flop. When ears are cut down to nubs it is generally for the purpose of fighting. My sister's dog had this done to her before she was brought to the shelter where my sister adopted her. Her ears weren't docked normally, they were cut all the way down to her head. Sadly, it was almost definitely done without any kind of anesthesia. My sister's dog is delightful and very mellow. We have an ACD mix. She might have a similar build to that dog, but it's hard to tell with the angle of that photo. My dog is very solid for her size. Her face looks different, especially through the muzzle. If that is what she is, I will say that the breed as a whole tends to be a bit mouthy. ACDs have a harder herding technique than other breeds, and it can carry over if you don't have a strong hand. I've never seen a humble ACD, so if that's the description either her other genetics won out heavily or she isn't an ACD mix! :001_smile: She doesn't look like any kind of bully breed to me. She might be a lab mix, or a hound mix, or just a mish-mash of dogs of various origins. If her temperament is good and your daughter likes her, I say go for it! I'd be careful about small dogs because they can be a little more difficult for younger children to "read." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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