1. Introduction

This submission is made by Stephen Peter Peacocke.
I wish to be heard in support of this submission.

Steve Peacocke
Internet: steve@trader.co.nz

Together with my wife Jennifer Anne Peacocke, we run the Vizsla Club of New Zealand and produce the "New Zealand Vizsla Newsletter" read widely with an international audience.

I am a member, and my wife is president of the NZKC recognised "Continental Gundog Club".

My wife and I are both also members of the NZKC recognised: "The Pointer Setter Club"; "The Gundog Society"; "The Waitemata Gundog Club" and the "Thames Valley Dog Obedience Club"

I am a member, delegate and the Wellington coordinator of the New Zealand Council of Docked Breeds.

We are active in dog obedience, dog agility, dog showing, gundog field trialing and hunting.

I am in support of the introduction of an animal welfare bill.

I have specific concerns in the following areas...

2. The Animal Welfare Advisory Committee

2.1 Power

This bill places into the hands of an appointed committee, the power to become the only legitimate source of information for the making of laws that effect an extremely large percentage of the population in this country.

This committee can then advise the government on animal welfare matters without public consultation, or if consultation is found to be desirable on a controversial matter, has no requirement to take into consideration or even read any submissions.

Every citizen of this country deserves a chance to be heard on matters effecting them. This bill effectively removes that right.

2.2 Committee Make-Up

I am concerned with the make-up of this committee that it is biased towards the veterinary sciences, university lecturers, Conservation and commercial animal interests. My concern rests with the fact that none of these areas are required to have a love of animals, understanding of animals (other than their inner workings or end financial result), or even to have proven to ever have owned so much as a pet goldfish.

It is an area of grave concern to me that the interests of caring and knowledgeable dog owners are being taken from them and placed in the hands of scientists and special interest lobby groups whose interests do not lie with the welfare of the animals they will purport to be protecting.

This committee should include representatives not only from animal owners, of which the NZKC should definitely be included, but also representatives from active gundog owners whose interests are being attacked from several areas such as tail docking and gun lobbying.

3. Traps and Devices

Clause 26 of this bill relates to The power to declare traps or devices to be prohibited.

My concern is with the unqualified words "Traps" and "Devices". These words contain no explanation in the bill and is open to special interest lobby groups being able to use these words to eliminate, with their latest series of misinformation campaigns, all manner of items such as legitimate bird traps used in field trials to safely confine a pigeon to be released to fly home once the dog has successfully "pointed" the trap from a safe distance. Another more extreme example may be successfully outlawing transportable dog cages used to keep dogs safe at shows and during transport.

4. Codes of Welfare

The current Code having been displayed contains some items that are ill thought out, based on incorrect information and perhaps are being pushed due to it being currently "politically correct" rather than any real life knowledge.

4.1 Tail docking

The area of most concern to me is the area in the code that discusses tail docking.

The banning of the practice of docking tails is one that is high on the agenda of some very ill informed but powerful lobby groups.

I oppose the introduction of the banning of tail docking, and contend that this is NOT in the best interest and welfare of the Hungarian Vizsla breed.

4.2 Docked Vizsla Tail

I invite you to look at the included picture of a champion Vizsla that shows a normally docked tail. Yes that tail has been docked.

The Hungarian Vizsla has 1 third docked from the tail, the tip, done usually at 2 to 3 days old but certainly less than 7 days old. This docking is usually performed by a qualified veterinarian but can be performed by a knowledgeable and caring breeder. Pups born from our litters are docked by a Veterinarian under the direct supervision of either myself or my wife, although I would have no objection to completing this minor process myself.

All modern dogs are man made, this is certainly true for the Vizsla. Even though records show the Vizsla has been in existence for many hundreds of years, most of those records show a docked breed.

The Hungarian Vizsla's tail has been docked for entirely practical reasons. Suggestions that it was docked for dog showing are false as docking has been carried our for hundreds of years whereas dog showing is a relatively new activity.

The Vizsla is a highly energetic short haired gundog and one of the few that are truly versatile in nature. By versatility, I mean that the Vizsla will hunt, point and retrieve a variety of game, both feather and fur. This breed is used to scent, track and point all game and holding or bailing is not a Vizsla trait. After the hunt the Vizsla will return with it's owner to live inside the home as a constant companion.

A very high percentage of Vizslas, approximately 1 third of the 400 estimated Vizslas in New Zealand, are actively used for hunting.

The tail of a Vizsla is powerful and carried horizontal with the ground and "wagged" constantly at a swift speed during scenting. The tip that is removed is often turned upwards and carries little fat and muscle as protection from brush and scrub, branches, rocks, tree trunks and other objects that the Vizsla encounters. Even in the home there are legs, chairs, coffee tables, doors and walls that all contribute to damage of the tail tip.

Where the tail of the well known Labrador for example, is strong through the length of the tail, the tip of the Vizsla's tail is thin and whip-like.

Left on, the tail tip acts similar to the tip of a fly rod - give the handle of the rod a flick and the tip flies at great speed under little control with great potential for damage should it come into contact with anything.

The Vizsla will seek out game through the undergrowth where tail damage is more likely.

The potential for damage for the Vizsla tail tip is greatly increased with the rugged terrains found in New Zealand.

Once damaged, the tail is extremely difficult to heal, sometimes requiring amputation later in life. Done later, the dog must be placed under general anaesthetic causing undue stress and pain.

By not allowing docking, the dog is committed to a life of pain, disallowing the dog the freedom of movement to follow it's natural instincts. This causes not only pain and suffering, but also places the dog under mental stress giving rise to the possibility of creating a "problem dog" for society at large.

4.3 Veterinary Profession

The code gives the Veterinary Profession the sole judgement on tail docking.

I suggest that the average veterinarian is totally ignorant of the Vizsla and the problems associated with undocked tails.

It has often been incorrectly assumed that all Veterinary surgeons are knowledgable in all matters to do with animals. I suggest that the Veterinary Professional is skilled in surgery and medical matters and that there is no requirement for a veterinary surgeon to own a pet or even have a love of animals to obtain their degree.

I contend that it is possible that a person who holds a great dislike of all animals and wishes their wholesale removal from society to become a fully qualified veterinarian in surgical or biological studies. I contend that if that person becomes well known through some highly commended surgical procedure, they could not only find serve on the Animal Welfare Advisory Committee, but that, worse still, they could be the very veterinarian that I may take my pups to for tail docking.

Veterinary Surgeons often know very little of hunting, of those that do, fewer still know of the type of hunting that the Vizsla is involved in. Some have only knowledge of lowland duck hunting, the traditional Labrador type retrieve, and some are actively anti-hunting.

Registered breeders on the other hand have on the whole, shown love, commitment and dedication to their breed. I contend that it is the breeder, NOT the Veterinarian who has the knowledge to make the choice about docking and it is also the breeder, NOT the Veterinarian who has their breed's welfare most at heart.

It has also become clear that a number of veterinary practices that are chain owned and run, are being told that no practice in their chain should dock tails. This will leave some breeders who live in small centers, such as ourselves, to transport 2 day old pups some hundreds of miles to an understanding veterinarian who will dock. This would be a stressful and extremely dangerous process with the possibility of death to some pups.

4.4 Misinformation

The anti-docking lobby has gone to great lengths to spread myths and emotional arguments that are clearly false.

4.4.1 Myth 1, Tail docking is cruel and painful

The tail bone of a Vizsla pup at less than 4 days old is still soft and the nervous system undeveloped. Despite the misinformation to the contrary, this is provable scientific fact. Docking at this age causes only a momentary discomfort that is almost instantly forgotten.

As stated earlier, I have personally witnessed tail dockings of the Vizsla pups from our litters. The pups will cry when taken from their litter mates, this crying will continue without change through the docking process. The pups stop crying the moment they are placed back with the mother and will immediately crawl to feed.

I suggest that this is not the sign of a pained and distressed pup. It has been my experience that a pup in distress will not feed but will crawl away from the mother and it's litter mates. (Letters of support from others who have also witnessed this have been attached as an appendix to this submission)

Rather than creating pain, this procedure is done to save the dog from a lifetime of pain and suffering.

4.4.2 Myth 2, There is no reason to dock tails

As explained, the tail of the Vizsla is docked for very valid reasons. Docking the tail of this hard working gundog will remove the possibility of tail damage to the unprotected tip. Docking at two to three days old will allow the Vizsla to live a healthy and pain free life doing what the breed loves to do.

4.4.3 Myth 3, Tail docking is only to win shows

Dog showing is a relatively new introduction. The Hungarian Vizsla has been known as a versatile hunting dog as far back in history as the 12th century AD and before. Dog showing, as it stands today, has only been around during this century. The very first Vizsla to appear in a show ring anywhere in the world, was in the mid 1960's.

4.4.4 Myth 4, Tails are required to help with swimming and balance

The Vizsla is a strong swimmer and an agile runner. If the docking of tails were to effect the dog's ability to swim and run, then the country would currently be overrun with wobbly or drowned dogs.

This claim is patently false.

4.4.5 Myth 5, Docking tails disallows expression

Only one third of the Vizsla tail is docked, this allows ample tail for normal expression. Indeed by removing the tip, the dog is able to express itself more easily, not having to worry about hitting the end on some object opening sores or re-breaking the bones.

4.4.6 Myth 6, Docking tails is mutilation

This is an emotive argument that contains no facts. It is used solely to introduce emotion into the argument.

As there are no facts, this can be ignored.

4.4.7 Other countries are banning tail docking

While this is true for some countries, this experiment has proven disastrous for working dogs such as the Hungarian Vizsla, the Weimaraner and the German Short Haired Pointer (GSP). Most countries that have banned tail docking are currently considering, if not totally reversing the law, allowing docking of hunting breeds for humanitarian reasons.

In Denmark, the Anti-docking law specifically excludes five hunting breeds, the Hungarian Vizsla is one of those five. Even there, the law is being reconsidered due to the number of reported tail damages in all traditionally docked breeds.

Docking was banned in Sweden in 1989 with alarming results. The Swedish GSP club processed a series of questionnaires sent to GSP Breeders throughout their country on young undocked dogs during 1990 and again in 1991, tracking the same dogs. The questionnaire asked a number of questions relating to tail damage.

(It must be noted that the Vizsla and the GSP are similar in makeup. The Vizsla however, is smaller and lighter and can expect to suffer greater tail damage than the GSP.)

Out of 191 dogs tracked, 92 had received tail damage to some degree. This equates to over 51% of the dogs tracked.

In Switzerland it has become the practice of gundog breeders to travel to neighbouring countries to have the litter where banning is not in force.

5. Conclusion

In this submission I have discounted the most common reaction to docking that it is cruel and painful and that it's primary purpose is cosmetic. The fact that there are few wobbly dogs that can't swim give the argument that it is required to give balance and aid in swimming, no credence whatsoever.

In light of this, I would like to throw the question back to the anti-docking lobby, asking why then do you still wish for a complete tail docking ban? Answers I have gotten are, "that dogs look better with long tails" or that "some dogs have long tails without damage".

These answers show the ignorance of the general public towards true working hunting dogs, and the effectiveness of the misinformation campaign currently under way by those who should know better but choose to ignore.

4. Appendix A - Personal Experiences

Permission for displaying letters of personal experiences were only requested for the actual submission so are not included here.