Culture Clash!

By Eva Storsveen

Oslo, Norway

I would like to take the opportunity, well after the last round of cropping/docking discussions and hopefully before the next, to bring up certain aspects from a European point of view. Our first encounter with the BML two years ago was primarily a very enjoyable experience, but as we knew very little about the conditions for pets in the US, it was quite a shock, too. We had no idea that common procedure was to cut off the boxers’ ears, tails, dewclaws and sometimes even eyelids, to sterilize and spay, and even constrict them to a crate for the larger part of the day and/or night. Being on the list has modified our views to some extent, and so has information from our Simba’s breeder, who is a vet and who told us about the enormous problem strays and otherwise unlucky dogs are in the US. Here in Norway and in Scandinavia, stray dogs are a very small problem, and that accounts for some of the differences. Other differences, however, are not so easily explained and seem to be the result of quite different cultures. What strikes a European is the American preoccupation with personal freedom. The American Constitution is often referred to, even in the smallest matters, and it seems to be a common agreement that you, for example, may cut a dog’s ears off as a result of your personal choice, and that Europeans suffer some kind of restricted freedom, as cropping is prohibited here.

I am now approaching my point <G>: I find this too much of a simplification. Freedom is closely linked to responsibilty - the more freedom, the more responsibility. Freedom without responsibility is barbarism. Of course no one will disagree on this, but nevertheless, there are vast differences in how we interpret it. In the case of ear cropping, the European view is that the animal’s dignity and inviolability takes precedence over individual esthetic preferences. This view precludes cutting anything off, except for medical reasons.