296 CROPPING. 



cropping terriers, begin at the hinder root of the ear, close to the 

 head ; and when this cut is carried through, one other cross cut 

 from the root at the front of the head, if managed with dexterity, 

 will be sufficient, and will make an excellent fox crop, without 

 torturing the animal with numerous trimmings. The less oblique 

 the second cut is carried, the more sharp and foxy will the crop 

 prove : the portion cut off, if laid on the remaining ear, will serve 

 to direct the operation in that also. A rounded crop may be made 

 at one cut. The cropping of pug puppies is the most painful of 

 any; the cuts must, in general, be repeated, and carried close 

 to the root of the ear ; as upon the total absence of external ears 

 (which gives an appearance of roundness to the head) is the beauty 

 of the animal supposed to consist^. It is best to crop puppies in 

 the absence of the bitch ; for it is erroneous to suppose that her 

 licking the wounded edges does them good ; on the contrary, it 

 only increases their pain, and deprives the young animals of the 

 best balsam, the blood that flows from them. 



Rounding, which is a species of cropping, is also performed on 

 pointers and hounds, both as a prevention and cure of the canker ; 

 but in rounding, only a portion of the flap is taken off. When 

 this operation becomes absolutely necessary for the cure of canker^ 

 from all others means having failed (see Canker J, care should be 

 taken that the cutting may go heyond the extent of the ulceration, 

 or the disease will return : when rounding is performed on a 

 number of dogs, it is, in general, done with the rounding-iron. 



Tailing. — When a dog is cropped, it is usual also to cut off a 

 portion of the tail. Dog fanciers, as they are termed, commonly 

 bite it off; but it were to be wished that a larger portion was 

 added to both their knowledge and humanity. The tail does not 

 grow materially after cutting, therefore the length may be pre- 



' It is not a little surprising that this cruel custom should be so invariably 

 practised on pug dogs, whose ears are particularly handsome, and hang very 

 gracefully. It is hardly to be conceived how the pug's head, which is not 

 naturally beautiful, except in the eye of perverted taste, is improved by suffer- 

 ing his ears to remain. 



