I don't believe I will be posting photos of this process for obvious reasons. Here is how I think it's going to go:
Me: hands puppy to roommate Here we go.
Casper: Got her.
Me: Okay, here we go.
Casper: . . .
Me: Okay, here we go.
Casper: . . .
Me: Right, on with it. Picks up hemostat. Takes big sigh. Clamps it on.
Panic sets in for both of us, but we keep it controlled.
Me: Picks up the emasculator (which I really do need to take a photo of you). I am so sorry, little guy. So sorry. So sorry. Oh, man. Oh, man. Oh . . .
Emasculator: CRUNCH!
Repeat.
Right.
So, having an Australian shepherd automatically signs you on to the historical utility of docking tails. I have always defended this practice. If you are a real working stockdog in California, you need it done. Same reason they dock sheep tails. It just become a mess. They didn't evolve naturally for the environment, so cut cut cut.
Right. That's all well and good when it's not your puppies. Not the puppies you are absolutely in love with. When you've grown a fondness for the future tails. When you have puppy buyers asking for you to leave them on . . .
But, in the end, peer pressure is making me do this. Making me hack off perfect, beautiful little Aussie tails. Why do I do this again? Oh, right, because this is what you do. It's the breed, it's an identifying characteristic.
I don't care if it doesn't hurt that much. I know that. I've done other people's dogs. Just not my precious puppies. My perfect little guys.
Yishai is strongly opposed to me doing it. So, because I already found that I can't take Fury's pure panic when I separate her from the pups, I'm enlisting him to take Fury for a walk while I do it. She's going to hate that walk, but I will hate her screaming more. It will make my work hurried and shoddy.
I know I can do this. I'm tough. Wish me luck. We'll check back later.
