Solution - Ladder Dogs

by Jimmy Williams

Answer: Click here to reveal

The answers to the cryptic clues are as follows:

He can really make a Toy Poodle's tail pound loudly ELF E + L + F
Best friend of dog returns for war briefly NAM man reversed
Girl lost without Doberman at the front SHE shed curtailed
Chihuahua's well being? Unfortunately, not good BIEN being* - G (definition = well in Spanish)
Reportedly, not many will feed a Greyhound? FUEL few'll homophone
Head of hair on a Chow Chow by the ears MAIN mane homophone
Officially mark animal that barks and does tricks with a ball SEAL double definition
Basset hound bears third son SETH hidden
Asta really holds on to celebrity STAR hidden
Feminine side of tailless dog, for example ANIMA animal curtailed
Trunk comes from pooches' torsos CHEST hidden
TV dog living in Seattle found in whirlpool by the Sound EDDIE eddy homophone
It's a lucky thing Britain is surrounded by more than half of fleas FLUKE fle containing UK
Gets better commands for a dog to follow when spoken HEALS heels
Playwright's rabid Boston Terrier losing to terror IBSEN (Boston Terrier - to terror)*
Go walking around for a word with Rover RANGE double definition
Note mangy dog come up a second time RECUR re + cur
Taunt Zero as "transparent" partially ROAST hidden
Twenty judge a dog show, perhaps SCORE double definition
In Europe, regionally elevated dog food shortage in east ALPINE Alpo curtailed + IN + E
Dogs of an African breed lacking as movie dogs BENJIS basenjis - as
Six Airedales in the lead in a vehicle with fancy food CAVIAR car containing (VI + A)
It has parts that are bent like a dog's leg — sounds rough COURSE coarse homophone
Pointer barked and he muttered obscenities CURSER cursor homophone
Confronted, I'd feed mongrel DEFIED (I'd feed)*
When you're dog tired you need this: Hawaii, then start tour in Australia HIATUS HI + AUS containing T
Whipped and ordered a sled with husky in the lead LASHED (a sled H)*
Mastiffs primarily upset makeshift cradle MANGER M + anger
Jewish texts speak of a sign in the sky northwest of Canis Major and Orion TORAHS Taurus homophone
A Vice Admiral with Red Setter attending Church of England is a sin AVARICE A + VA + R + I + CE
Mathematicians and chefs at times put up resistance to people who control their dogs CURBERS cubers + R
Made a dog into a God, for example... or the other way around; it's the same thing DEIFIED same both directions
Great Dane's tail entrancing ER staff is relevant GERMANE G + E containing ER + man
Again bring into line strange forces overwhelming Underdog initially REFOCUS forces* + U
Chinese breed drops plush tail for a massage SHIATZU Shih Tzu with H changed to A
Dog measurement taken by hand — in other words, length SPANIEL span + i.e. + L
Arizona is getting short mixed breed with height and angles used to locate points AZIMUTHS AZ + IS containing (mutt curtailed + H)
Disdainful spelunker takes Boxer CAVALIER caver containing Ali
Running out of energy, drinks water like a dog in last part of spring ELAPSING P + leading, D changed to S

The answers can be arranged into sets of transdeletions with three words. The letter removed for the first transdeletion runs from A-M. By ordering the sets by these letters, the words can be arranged into a Laddergram style grid:

ANIMA A MAIN I NAM
CURBERS B CURSER S RECUR
CHEST C SETH T SHE
LASHED D HEALS H SEAL
GERMANE E MANGER M RANGE
REFOCUS F COURSE U SCORE
ELAPSING G SPANIEL S ALPINE
TORAHS H ROAST O STAR
DEIFIED I DEFIED F EDDIE
BENJIS J IBSEN S BIEN
FLUKE K FUEL U ELF
CAVALIER L AVARICE E CAVIAR
AZIMUTHS M SHIATZU Z HIATUS

The letters removed in each second transdeletion in this order spell the answer: ISTHMUS OF SUEZ