Northern Ireland bans tail docking of dogs from 1 January 2013
From the 1 January 2013 in Northern Ireland, it is an offence for owners to have their dog's tail docked.
The only exemption from the ban is if they are potential future working dogs. Only the following breeds that are intended to be used for work in connection with law enforcement, lawful pest control or lawful shooting of animals are included in the exemption:
- Spaniels of any breed or combination of breeds;
- Terriers of any breed or combination of breeds;
- Any breed commonly used for hunting, pointing or retrieving or any combination of such breeds.
Future working dogs which meet the requirements of the exemption may only be docked by a veterinary surgeon within five days of birth and must be microchipped before the dog is eight weeks of age at the same veterinary practice that carried out the tail docking procedure.
The Welfare of Animals (Docking of Working Dogs' Tails and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2012 set out the certification process for the exemption for future working dogs, which must be completed by the breeder and the veterinary surgeon at the time the pup's tail is docked.
Breeders who wish to apply for an exemption for a future working dog should familiarise themselves with the requirements of the Regulations and ensure they present the pup and the necessary evidence within five days of birth to a veterinary surgeon that docks future working dogs under this exemption. Application forms can be downloaded from the following websites:
Countryside Alliance Ireland website
British Association for Shooting and Conservation website
Any person who buys a pup with a docked tail, which was born in Northern Ireland on or after the 1 January 2013, must obtain from the seller the fully completed certificate for tail docking which has been signed by the breeder and the veterinary surgeon who docked the pup's tail to confirm the pup was legally docked as a potential future working dog.
