Here’s a dog fun fact for kids: Why does the dog pictured above have one stuck-up ear? We ran into this dog, Walter, and his owner, Sally, near our house. This is a Briard, otherwise known as a Brie Shepherd. This dog loves to herd, is kind and protective. It’s a pretty big dog; Walter weighs about 88 pounds.

But what about that single stuck-up ear? Michael wanted to know.

It turns out that this dog’s flat ear is what’s called a “crop and flop.” Many Briards have “cropped ears,” although the practice is controversial. In fact, cropping is generally banned in Europe.

Here’s how it’s done: When the dog is six to seven weeks old, its ears are cropped. The hair on the ears is glued together with fabric glue. Some breeders add glue from time to time to keep the look up; others take the ears apart and re-glue them to maintain the look.

Sometimes, however, a Briard has poor ear leather, and the “crop and flop” results. That’s what happened to one of this dog’s ears!

You can probably guess why cropping a dog’s ears and gluing them might be controversial. Be sure to leave us a comment or email us at BashAndLucy@gmail.com if you have an opinion about this practice!

The dog in Michael’s dog picture book, Lucy, doesn’t have stuck-up ears. She’s a Golden Retriever who teaches a kids’ sports team about teamwork, confidence–and life! You can learn more about the book by watching the video trailer here:

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