my bentley(minpin) DOES NOT have his ears cropped...

The USA is one of the few remaining countries where it is still legal to dock tails and crop ears. Most other countries have outlawed it as being inhumane.

The risk of infection is the same regardless of what age surgery is done at. Cropped ears can collect dirt and debris because the flap is not there to protect the ear canal. Some long-eared breeds (cocker spaniels, beagles and bassets) have ear issues because their extremely long ear flaps keep moisture in which causes bacterial infections. Fortunately min-pins do not have this problem. With natural ears, they do just fine.

The purpose of cropping a min-pin's ears is solely aesthetic (for looks) and has no functional purpose at all. There is absolutely no benefit to having his ears cropped. The risks include infection at the cut area, future ear problems and fear of having his ears touched (because he'll associate the pain long after his ears have healed). Besides, it would mean months of taping his ears up, which is no doubt uncomfortable for the dog, and time-consuming for the human.

I say leave his floppy ears the way they are.

Please do not have his ears cropped. He will go through months of pain and taped ears. My opinion is cropping of ears and tails should be illegal.... just because the animals have to suffer for months just so they look "better".

I COMPLETELY agree with everyone else! This is your dog's LIFE we're talking about, and your dog is not a toy to be dressed up and changed. I don't care how "macho" cropped ears are supposed to look - since they are not endorsed by people who have pets' best interests at heart, they are not done properly or humanely. Well, really, how humane and easy can chopping off part of your ear be?

Really, I'm glad you asked - but please don't listen to your boyfriend. Your dog was born perfect in every way, and will thank you for leaving him whole.

Besides, he IS to old to get this done.

He is to old to have them done . You can only crop their ears when they are 12 weeks old or under . BTW its not worth the pain to the dog , or the months of taping the ears to have it done .

Here is what the Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights had to say:

"AVAR is opposed to any surgical procedures that are performed to meet 'breed standards' or to correct unwanted behavior in animals.

Cosmetic or non-therapeutic surgical procedures or amputations, such as ear cropping, tail docking, dewclaw removal, and debarking in dogs; declawing in large and domestic cats; debeaking in chickens; de-toeing in turkeys; tail docking in pigs, sheep, and cattle; tail docking and tongue myotomies in horses, for example, are inhumane. The suffering and disfigurement they cause are not offset by any benefits to the animals. Anesthesia is often used for some of the procedures, primarily for companion animals, and has its own risks of disability or death.

Ear cropping, or ear flap amputation, is an inhumane non-therapeutic procedure routinely performed by veterinarians on dogs with naturally drooping ears and is solely done to meet breed standards. Puppies are just 9-12 weeks of age when the ears are cropped, depending upon the maturity of the ear cartilage and surgeon preference. The puppy’s ears, including blood vessels, cartilage, muscle, nerves, and skin, are cut and reshaped so that the ears stand erect (instead of hanging naturally). The ears are subsequently affixed by tape to some form of a rack, usually metal or plastic, for weeks. After the surgical procedure, the puppies may undergo frequent follow-up visits to the veterinarian where the ears are handled and re-taped. The detrimental effects of this procedure are amplified by the fact that the ideal cropping age coincides with a period of development in which traumatic experiences can have a negative effect on the pup’s emotional well-being and future behavior, including permanent aversion to having their ears handled."