Ear Cropping

 Uncropped to Cropped;  the process .... Demonstrated via Lexi. 
     
             Puppy hood!!!!  What a joyous time!  Full of trials, surprises and of reaching milestones...  A time when a pups temperament and personality really begin to develop.  A time when socialization means everything.  A time when a very strong bond begins to grow between pup and person.  And yes, the time to crop or not to crop.  It's a personal decision.   As you can see, Lexi looks no worse for the wear from my decision to go ahead and crop....  she came home the morning of the procedure, a bit sleepy and oh so cuddly.  The next day she was up to her usual antics of chewing her toys and trying to fit herself into the flower pots.  She kept her cup in place like the good girl she is and graduated to her antennas about a week following surgery.   Cropping is not to be taken lightly.  It means keeping your puppies clean and dry while it's ears are wrapped.  Yes placing plastic baggies over them on rainy days.  It means frequent (every 10  days or so) trips to the vet for re-taping until the ears are standing.   Cropping  is an art and requires an artist if a nice looking crop is to be achieved.  It's a surgery that is no longer taught in vet schools  but taught to interested vets by mentors who have the knowledge and skills to do as well as teach.   
Lexi's ears were done by my Vet Dr Leigh McBride in Wildwood Florida. Dr McBride specializes in Cropping and is a Doberman Breeder as well.   
                                I highly recommend her!   

Success!

Picture
Check out my ears!!!!!
My ears stood right away but I continued with the wraps for some time as my Vet said "during the teething process the calcium goes into the teeth and away from the ears"! 

I am proud to say, I am Lexi!  I am Doberman and people seem to have a certain sort of resect for me!  My Mom knows I'm really just a lap dog, a velcro dog as they say,  underneath all the hype.