Keeping It Hush Hush

   By drodriguez  Feb 04, 2010
35

People who have dogs, especially in apartment buildings where walls may be thin and living quarters small, often receive complaints about their dogs barking at all hours of the day and night.  Sometimes these complaints go beyond a knock at the door and are filed with the landlord, co-op board, or worse - the city.  When this happens, the pet owner is often faced with a couple of options: they can move out and possibly face the same issues at the next place of residence or they can give their dog up and deal with the possibility of having it euthanized at the pound if they can’t find someone willing to take in a "loud" dog. 

For some, neither of these options are palatable and they end up going in for a very unconventional solution.  A recent article from the New York Times talks about a surgery performed on dogs that has a lot of animal activists up in arms.  Debarking, the procedure to remove a dog’s vocal chords, is not widely practiced but has found it’s place in bigger cities where apartment dwellers receive more complaints about barking dogs.

Though many veterinarians refuse to perform this procedure, finding it inhumane, there are still a good number who do (though often times will not advertise this unless asked about it).  One San Diego veterinarian, Dr. Sharon Vanderlip, calls herself a big proponent of the debarking surgery.  Vanderlip has been performing this type of surgery for 30 years and defends the practice by saying, "They recover immediately and they don’t ever seem to notice any difference.  I think that in certain cases it can certainly save a dog from ending up being euthanized.  If properly done, they behave totally the same afterwards and don’t seem to have any health problems." 

The surgery is described as relatively simple.  The veterinarian will cut the vocal cords through the mouth or an incision in the larnyx .  All that’s left of the dog’s bark after the surgery will be a quiet muffled sort of sound.  But there is a potential side effect to this procedure that has a lot of dog lovers and veterinarians saying it is inhumane and harmful for a dog.  Dr. Gary Ellison, from the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, warns that in the past he has had to operate on debarked dogs who suffer from breathing difficulties after scar tissue built up in their throats.

What do you think of debarking surgery?

Do you think there is ever an instance where performing this procedure could be beneficial to the dog?

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Pepperjune by Pepperjune | Kimberly, ID
Feb 08, 2010

I worked at a vet clinic for 8 years,and thankfully my vet refused to do this surgery because of how inhumnae it was (he also refused to crop dogs ears because it is vain and inhumane) What people dont understand(which i didnt either till I worlked at the vet clinic) is that the procedure doesnt not make the dog silent,they just have this horrible raspy bark/yip(like rulistenin says above) there are humane ways to treat the animal from barking,also people need to first address WHY is the dog barking in the first place!!??(boredom,loneliness,seperation anxiety)

rulistenin by rulistenin | Jackson, WY
Feb 08, 2010

A friend of mine adopted a collie that was already debarked. Her dog Rocky had been used for breeding by his original owners. (Sadly, Rocky died about a year ago). When Rocky would try to bark it sounded like someone with a muted sore throat. One day, he was in the gated front yard of my friend's house. Someone walking by heard Rocky barking and called the police, because they thought Rocky was being abused by not getting any water to drink. His bark sounded very dry and hoarse. Of course, all was okay with the police after they came by her house, but my friend was really hurt that someone thought she had been abusing her dog.

eldapc11 by eldapc11 | SANTA ANA, CA
Feb 07, 2010

This is insane. I would never do such thing. People should get a dog trainer instead of paying for a terrible surgery. Or don't get a dog. Dogs should not be in apartments, they need space to run around and be loud.

amberdana by amberdana | Phoenix, AZ
Feb 07, 2010

I think it is a horrible thing to do. There are people who never seem to shut up and you don't go and see us taking there vocal cords out. That is a dogs voice. Train your dog people. If you don't have time to train your dog don't get one.

Lusadi by Lusadi | Wasilla, AK
Feb 06, 2010

I don't know. If it was de-bark my dog or lose my dog, I would certainly consider the procedure. I have known several dogs that have had the procedure done and though they sounded a bit strange when barking, it didn't affect them in a negative way. I do not agree that it is animal cruelty. I think it is one of many options that can allow dog and human to live together. My dog has his bark. Fortunately, he uses it sparingly.

HJFinnie by HJFinnie | Ypsilanti, MI
Feb 05, 2010

I had never given much thought on this subject until I met a dog who had this procedure. He visited the dog part where we take our dog. The dog spent a lot of time "barking," but due to complications, he was easily out of breath. His owner had gotten him from a shelter, and was very against the procedure. I could never do this to my dog.

mardel by mardel | SCHAUMBURG, IL
Feb 05, 2010

Thanks MadHatter! You made a great point!! Your right a dogs warning bark has saved so many lives!!

ddavidso by ddavidso | elkton, MD
Feb 05, 2010

I agree with k9-crystal. I am fortunate to have plenty of land around my home because I have 3 dogs and the littlest one barks all the time. If the choice was however was to get the surgery or lose her, I would get her the surgery. I knew what I was getting when I rescued her so no regrets

MadHatter by MadHatter | Whitestone , NY
Feb 05, 2010

i agree with mardel. i find that if it will be such a problem for the owners, then they should have thought about it before getting a dog. i find this procedure to be inhumane. dogs bark to forewarn you of danger, to scare away perps to think twice before going into your house. why would you want to destroy that? true, dogs do get annoying once in a while when they don't stop barking, but i would never ever dream about doing that to my own 2 dogs. one of my dogs saved our family and the whole house in the middle of the night when our toaster that was plugged into the wall fried out and started a small fire in the kitchen. the smoke detector didn't go off because the battery needed to be changed, but my dog barked its head off and got my parents to go downstairs to see what was going on. a dog barks for a reason.

k9_crystal by k9_crystal | River Falls, WI
Feb 05, 2010

I am a professional dog trainer. When it comes to someone having to give up their dog- to a humane society or shelter- or getting such a surgery to be able to keep their dog in their current living situation- It is mentally and emotionally easier stress-wise on the dog to stay in it's known environment. I personally would never get this done, but working with people and behavior issues I can understand why it is done even though I do not personally agree- I see it as a LAST resort. Overall, I feel that when getting a dog you should make sure that it is compatible with your lifestyle-- if you're living in an apartment, don't go out and buy/adopt a terrier (notorious for barking)- maybe go for a quieter dog like a Basenji. Putting your best effort forward as a responsible dog owner starts with researching and choosing a dog that can benefit your lifestyle- in turn, your lifestyle benefits your dog- and that's what the dog-human bond is supposed to be about.

mardel by mardel | SCHAUMBURG, IL
Feb 04, 2010

Debarking a dog is such a cruel thing to do to an animal! How can anybody justify this as the only solution to a constant barking of an animal? You took the responsibility to get a pet and now it's your responsibility to train and take care of that pet. We give therapy to sexual predators but why not castrate them instead? Why should we take something natural away like barking from a defenseless animal? People let's deal with bigger issues here please!

giesela99 by giesela99 | MINNEAPOLIS, MN
Feb 04, 2010

This is a "quick fix" to something that could be remedied with behavioral training. This reminds me of the parents and schools who are quick to medicate children for behavior problems without first attempting other modifications for their chidlren.

krys2000 by krys2000 | COLORADO SPGS, CO
Feb 04, 2010

Debarking is a terrible thing that ought not be allowed. Spend time with your dog, train your dog or don't get one!

msfriendly by msfriendly | MONROE, WI
Feb 04, 2010

I never heard of this before! I think this is terrible and should not be allowed. The dog just need to be trained. People shouldn't have a dog if they are not willing to train, spend time, and love the animal.

bourmanfamily by bourmanfamily | NASHWAUK, MN
Feb 04, 2010

I think its a bad idea to debark a dog. I understand people want to keep their dogs but there are those anti-bark trainers. I think its just a way for people to have designer dogs without all the fuss of dealing with a dog that barks and this way they don't have to take the time to train them.