It sounds right - I think all terrier breeds and crosses are allowed to be docked if it is proved that they are for working purposes and it is done legally.

> If it is no one's responsibility  to report the illegally docked pup, i.e vet , trainer,  or any other form of authority, to the police.. how is the law to be uphold..???

As other laws - the police should investigate if they see or suspect an offence, and members of the public should report what they believe to be crimes taking place. It's how all other crime is policed.

When I mentioned that I thought they weren't allowed to dock she explained that as he'd bred them to be working farm dogs - and didn't know which he'd be keeping - that it was ok to dock them all.

Yes but the breeder will have certificates for each individual pup from the vet who docked them, which should have been passed on to each puppy buyer.

yes thats fine dogs a babe, as docking takes place at a few days old and its impossible to tell which of a litter your keeping at that kind of age, if you know several pups are going to be workers then you need to dock them all.

ive read that you arent allowed to dock cross bred terriers on one of the official pages but this only mentions recognised terriers, what about patterdales, plummers, white lakelands, and lucas terriers? and anyother un recognised working terriers? in the countrymans weekly there are all these terriers and cross bred terriers advertised for sale legally docked

possibly but seems strange as a lot of dogs that still work are crosses

> http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/welfare/act/docking.htm

The laws are different in Scotland, Wales and England.  In England any spaniel, terrier or HPR or their crosses are allowed to be docked assuming appropriate evidence to say the litter are likely to work is produced (scroll down to q & a section on page above). In Scotland docking is illegal end of, and in Wales they have named specific breeds (I only looked briefly, but in spaniels I think you could dock Cocker, ESS and WSS but not Sussex or Clumber....).

>ive read that you arent allowed to dock cross bred terriers

In England the following can be docked:

1.      Hunt point retrieve breeds of any type or combination of types.
2.      Spaniels of any type or combination of types.
3.      Terriers of any type or combination of types.

From the Council of Docked Breeds website.

My friend recently had a litter of 11 cockers from working parents. They were told that it was against the law if they took the pups down south to be docked and brought them back to sell. They advised that they were for working purposes and had the person advising actually seen the mess a non docked dog can be injury wise whilst working. (

does this friend live in the same area as you? if there isnt a vet near you that will dock tails (as not all vets will) how else are they meant to get them done?

>if there isnt a vet near you that will dock tails (as not all vets will) how else are they meant to get them done?

Sandra lives in Scotland,where all docking is illegal. They don't get done.