October 20, 1990.....I wrote a letter to the BMDCA Newsnote Editor:

Today my mind is turning away from the serious genetic topics I deal with every day, to one that appears minor by comparison. However, the subject of a small amputation seems to loom large in my heart as I search for breeders that are not having the foreleg fifth toe removed from their puppies.

I have not realized how pervasive this practise has become, until again being "in the market" for a dog and wanting the forelegs to be intact.

It is my understanding that all domestic and wild canids are born with 5 digits on the forelegs, and not so commonly on the rearlegs. Some domestic dogs (including some Berners and almost all wild canids) are born with only 4 digits on the rearlegs, though some breeds commonly have a 5th or more, in a cluster on the rearlegs.

A dog uses this front digit in at least two useful manners:
--when hiking, I have watched a dog pull itself up and over a large downed tree, using all ten of the grasping claws, and in a similar manner I have watched them grasp for traction on a rocky slope;
--when chewing and handling a large bone, I have watched the same use of the fifth claws. You will notice a significant pad on the foreleg at the level of the fifth digit. This is not true on the rearlegs. The digits on the forelegs appear to be articulated quite differently than on the rear and it is not a practise to remove them in Europe nor did we see it in this country until the late '60's.

At the first experience, I asked the breeder why she had them removed and the response was similar to later experiences:"my Vet says this is a good idea so they don't get caught and torn in some way". I have searched without success for any documentation of any case of a Berner catching and tearing the fifth digit on the foreleg. I find record of toe NAILS getting caught, but they have all been one of the four that touch the ground.

Recently I have gotten responses which make me concerned that a number of new breeders are accepting this amputation as a required fashion, i.e. "they told me it makes the legs look smoother", and "since it is mentioned in the standard, I assumed it was best to do it".

I would like the voices to be heard from the Bernerfolk who believe in leaving the forelegs of our puppies normal and intact as they are born, without amputation; continuing to amputate the rudimentary fifth, or more, toes on the rearlegs when they do appear.