A Washington Post article calling for an end to unnecessary cosmetic surgeries for dogs, such as tail docking and ear cropping, featured a UBC study recently published in PLOS One.
UBC graduate student Katelyn Mills and animal welfare professor Marina von Keyserlink found in an online survey that most people thought dogs that typically receive cosmetic surgeries, such as the Doberman, were naturally born with these alterations. They believe the lack of awareness is probably intentional.
“People disconnect themselves from things if they find it uncomfortable,” Mills said. “They don’t want to know about it.”
