Times change....

Looking at some of the pictures scrolling down the side I remember when it could not be a bulldog unless the ears were cropped. It was like a rule or something. LOL

In order for them to look right the puppy had to end up hating you. The cutting, the pulling, the daily care. It was torture on the puppy.

We had a pair of stainless forceps that screw clamped on and then they were trimmed with a straight razor. Dabbed with some sort of topical and put back in the pen. Within minutes they were shaking their heads and slinging blood every where. It look liked a crime scene or a pitiful paint job.

I have not seen a bulldog with cut ears in the longest. Funny how something was a must, pretty much across the board, and now it is as unknown.

EWO

Hence that there are laws in certain countries prohibiting cropping ears or ducking tails
have been for over a decade

Ditto,you can see the trimmed ears on those older dog pictures recently posted. The Pit Bull Terrier standard, shown on the Your Friend and Mine magazines, that Mr. Pete Sparks edited. Shows the cropped ears.

The Am Staff/Doberman/Bully Pit/ dog breeders still crop the ears. Easy money for the Veterinarians. Ear cropping leaves a dog's inner ears exposed to harsh weather/dog flies/ and various parasites. Docking the tail can effect a dog's balance.

Since we are discussing trimming/cropping a dog's ears. Mr. Creel a noted dog man in his own right had a good relationship with Mr. Maurice Carver. Mr. Creel did all of the ear cropping on his and Mr. Carver's dogs. Cheers

HC did all ours. People form all over brought their pups to him. He had a set of forceps for bulldogs and one for Dobermans. His Dobermans were gorgeous.

EWO

Lots of things are different now. The old pictures were pretty cool.

It was a time when you showed up with a dog with ears you pretty much had to turn in your membership card. LOL

EWO

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bulldoghistorian

Hence that there are laws in certain countries prohibiting cropping ears or ducking tails
have been for over a decade

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Yes the cropped ears used to be much more common. But now a lot of veterinarians will not crop ears.

It is still done, here are a few with cut ears in a NYC animal control center --

http://nycdogs.urgentpodr.org/noloey-a1101294/

http://nycdogs.urgentpodr.org/lucy-a1082725/

http://nycdogs.urgentpodr.org/bazooka-a1100836/

http://nycdogs.urgentpodr.org/cloe-fka-nadya-a1099851/

Decent looking crops, but you still see a few with almost no ears left.

The last picture looks like it was trimmed by hand. Just a straight line cut. The better ones are when the forceps are used. They have the intended curve, wider at the bottom and the up and in curve to the top.

I have not cut a dogs ears in maybe 30 years.

It is funny how something at one time seemed like a must but in time it is nothing more than an after thought.

EWO

THE FIRST ONE (PAPERED) I EVER SAW HAD CROPPED EARS, HIS NAME WAS KEENO, YOU COULD JUST TELL FROM THE WAY THAT HE STOOD (REGAL IF YOU WILL) THAT HE WAS NOT SOME STREET BRED BULLSHIT. AND HIS OWNER SAID HE HAD SOME TROPHIES AND SHIT. AND THAT WAS IN THE PROJECTS ( CATZ THAT KNOW ME FROM PEDS AND REAL HIP HOP HEADS KNOW THE PROJECTS THAT I'M TALKIN ABOUT TOO) IN THE EARLY 80S :lol: