‘Apparently, I’m a horrible dog mom’: Woman takes her Australian shepherd to the pet store. Then a stranger says she’s ‘cruel’ for docking her tail
People really, really do not play about dogs. And can you blame them? They’re perfect, adorable little bundles of loyalty and affection. Sometimes, however, dog mania can go too far—and normal dog owners end up paying for it. One woman has gone viral with a bizarre experience she had while minding her business with her own Australian Shepherd.
Was this poor Australian Shepherd victim of docking?
In a video first posted in Dec. 2025 with over 4,000 views, Elizabeth (@unapologetically.liz) said a woman treated her “like the worst dog mom in the world.” Elizabeth and her dog Prada were in line at the pet store when this woman approached the two of them unexpectedly.
“She sees Prada and she’s like, ‘Oh my God, I love your Bernese Mountain Dog,'” Elizabeth recounts in her video. Cradling Prada’s face in her hand, she continues, “Your Bernese Mountain Dog? This little thing right here? It’s not a Bernese Mountain Dog, by the way.”
Before Elizabeth had a chance to correct the woman, Prada gave her “the full moon treatment,” showing her full rump to the lady. And that’s when things went wrong.
“She sees the full, full moon—no tail, just moon,” Elizabeth says. “And this lady absolutely freaks out and is like, ‘Oh my God, how could you dock your Bernese Mountain Dog’s tail? That is so cruel.”
Elizabeth says she tried to explain the lady’s mistake, to no avail.
“I said, ‘Ma’am, she’s actually an Australian Shepherd,'” Elizabeth recounts. “It’s part of their breed standard and a lot of them are born with a natural bobtail. And this lady, deadpan, looks me in the face and goes, ‘That’s not an Australian Shepherd. That’s a Bernese Mountain Dog.’ So apparently I’m a horrible dog mom and I also don’t know what breed I have.”
Commenters crack up
Viewers equal parts laughed and commiserated with Elizabeth in her comments section. Fellow dog owners also threw their own experiences into the mix. Some people urged Elizabeth to play along next time, for the plot.
“Next time tell her it was bitten off by a bobcat,” one person suggested. “Make up something fun!”
“You should’ve just said: Yeeea, the tail froze and fell off today,” another commented with laughing emojis. “When we snowboarded down the mountain together, to buy some food for later, cuz the mountain dog has to pull me back up to our home!”
Other dog owners shared that it’s apparently pretty common for random strangers to double down after getting dog breeds mixed up.
“It’s more fun to agree with them & create a huge story about it,” one wrote, commenting with a picture of his dog. “You have no idea how many people think I have a XXXL Bully.”
“Been there,” echoed another. “Didn’t you know I have a wolf. It’s funny because the people who say he’s a wolf have probably never seen a wolf. Wolves are close to double his size … So I would like to welcome you to the club. Just wait you’ll get more of that.”
Clearly, this woman was just having a strong reaction to the idea of tail docking, and her obstinacy had very little to do with Elizabeth or Prada at all.
@unapologetically.liz She was offended by the full moon ? #australianshepherd #puppy #dogmom #australianshepherdpuppy #dogsoftiktok ♬ original sound – Elizabeth ♡
What is tail docking all about, and is it illegal?
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AMVA), “tail docking refers to the partial amputation (caudectomy) of a dog’s tail, usually during their first five days of life.” This is usually done on breeds “like Cocker Spaniels, Rottweilers, and Yorkshire Terriers,” with the amputation length varying by breed.
While many owners use aesthetic reasons or supposed “functional grounds” to justify tail docking, “the practice of tail docking raises significant welfare and ethical concerns, while offering no substantiated health benefits for dogs,” the AMVA writes on its website. “… More often the practice is done to conform to a distinctive breed appearance or standard.”
Though tail docking is legal in the USA due to virtually zero relevant legislation, there are several health concerns associated with the practice. Most notably, the procedure is painful for dogs and can negatively affect their nervous system long-term.
Veterinarians like Doctor Patty Khuly assert that “if you love animals you should be … disgusted” by practices like tail docking, and that the “almost entirely unregulated” nature of such surgical procedures in the US is “shocking.” Meanwhile, according to the British Veterinary Association (BVA), “tail docking is considered to be a mutilation under UK law” save for some medical exemptions, making it “illegal in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.”
All this being said, it’s probably safer not to harangue a stranger for presuming they’ve docked their dog’s tail. Let’s learn from Elizabeth’s story and leave random dog owners well alone.
The Mary Sue has reached out to Elizabeth via TikTok DM and comment.
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