Cosmetic surgery for dogs, and pet adoption

The March 21 edition of Newsweek, on news stands now, has two articles about companion animals. I see them as complimentary though the magazine does not link them. The Periscope section (Pg 12) has a piece headed "Make Your Dog a Swan." It is about cosmetic surgery for dogs. It focuses on surgeries designed to make animals more comfortable, often correcting faults related to breeds. For example, it tells us:

"The excessive skin folds in chow chows and Shar-Peis, for instance, trap excess saliva that can lead to bacterial buildup. And after a beagle has multiple puppies, her lower half may drag against the ground, forming painful open wounds. The solution? A canine tummy tuck."

We read:
"In response to the boom in cosmetic surgery, John Duran, mayor of West Hollywood, Calif., has a bone to pick. He has introduced legislation to ban 'noncurative' forms of cosmetic pet surgery he deems cruel and unnecessary. The bill targets ear cropping, performed to make the ears of Doberman pinschers and Great Danes stand erect, and tail docking, done on terriers and spaniels. After all, a dog has to be only man's best friend—not the best looking."

You can read the article on line at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7160259/site/newsweek/

In many other countries, including Australia, Great Britain and Finland, ear-cropping is already banned, and there is now a groundbreaking bill calling for a ban in California, introduced by Assembly member Paul Koretz, a Democrat from West Hollywood. You can read more about that on the Sacramento Bee website at:
http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/story/12565877p-13420885c.html or the website of the Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights at: http://www.avar.org/earcrop.html


The same edition of Newsweek has a lovely article, headed "Stray Dog Seeks Love," about Petfinder.com (Pg 53.) You'll can read it at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7168828/site/newsweek/

I referred to the articles as complimentary since the bizarre concept of cosmetic surgery for dogs is linked to the desire for breeds with certain characteristics. Though Petfinder.com includes purebreds, one doesn't expect people going to that website to be viewing the dogs they adopt as fashion accessories.

Newsweek deserves a big thank you for the Petfinder piece. And the coverage opens the door for letters on various companion animal issues, including the joy of loving mutts who don't need plastic surgery.

Newsweek takes letters at: letters [at] newsweek.com. They must include name, address, and daytime phone number.

Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn

(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. If you forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts, please do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this tag line.)