A video on social media showing a “natural” doberman has proved a hit online.
It’s fairly common for dobermans to get their ears surgically cropped or their tail docked for purely aesthetic reasons but the practice is controversial.
The viral TikTok video shows Dante, a chocolate brown doberman with uncropped ears and an intact tail, and users have complimented his natural looks in the more than 10,000 comments below the post.
However, some sources say that the surgical procedures are beneficial for the dogs in the long-run.
“The doberman tail is particularly [thin] and susceptible to painful breaking or damage just from every day wear and use,” PRIMA dobermans, an American Kennel Club registered doberman breeder, writes on its website.
It goes on to state that docking can prevent serious injury or damage to a doberman’s tail.
The British Veterinary Association argues otherwise, writing on its website that unless the procedure has been carried out by a vet for legitimate medical reasons, tail docking or ear cropping should never happen.
“Puppies suffer unnecessary pain as a result of tail docking and are deprived of a vital form of canine expression in later life. Research published in Vet Record found that approximately 500 dogs would need to be docked in order to prevent a single tail injury,” the organization writes online.
“We continue to call for a complete ban on tail docking of puppies for non-therapeutic reasons across the UK,” it adds.
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What Do The Comments Say?
Since it was shared to the social media platform by @SukiAndDante on April 21, the TikTok post has been liked more than 600,000 times. Thousands of users have left messages of support for Dante and his natural looks in the comments section below the post.
“That’s the best looking Doberman I’ve ever seen,” one user wrote.
“Yay! Nature gave them longer ears and a tail for a reason,” another user added.
A third commented: “This is so much cuter Omg! Why do people mutilate them?”
Newsweek reached out to @SukiAndDante for comment via Instagram.
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