Animal activists are enraged over a procedure to silence dogs. Does dog devocalization outrage you?

Anyone who is against debarking should be forced to spend a week with my dad's labrador. She barks in the morning, in the evening, in the afternoon, in the middle of the night, when people come, when people go, etc. It really is annoying and she has been this way for years; it isn't going to change on its own. Sure, one should first try to manage the barking without surgery (as I have -- tried a shock collar to no effect), but after a certain point, debarking becomes an increasingly viable option.

thats because your father is a pathetic excuse for a dog owner like my sister...

its funny when the dog is with me rarely barks and when she does i tell her "no barking" which she understands but my sister on the other hand will let her bark and bark and bark and bark and bark without saying a single thing and the dog of course continues to bark

it ALL boils down to the owner NOT the dog

Striking similarities to the abortion issue. "I can do what I want with MY dog", "its my choice" vs. "the dog has rights", " what about the dog's choice".

It is not only an outrage, I think it should be punishable by doing it to the pet owner & I'm serious!

Not only is it cruel and unusual, it causes damage to the dogs esophagus. Its unhealthy for the animals! If you can't handle the barking don't even consider getting a dog. Its natural, its what they do.

How else are we going to get alerted to burgulars in the house?! Anyway surely obedience training is cheaper! People are lazy.....train your pets.

Yes I am actually..A dogs are just like us! They need to express themselves..Who knows, this procedure could even be painful.

that's messed up.

That is so insane!!!!!!!! People talk, dogs bark!!! I can see things like collars, even though an avid dog lover myself, but this is nuts, and anyone who would want to do it doesn't love an animal AT ALL.

If only we could shut up Animal Activists

Mutilating pets. I know of certain peoples who do something to their women.....

I personally would want a dog that barks, it's their way of communication. How else am I suppose to know little Timmy is trapped down a well?

Sick. The idea of this is simply disgusting.

THAT IS TOTALLY WRONG... If you do that to a dog, I sure hope someone does that to you too!

My cocker spaniel alerted me of an intruder. Of course, she also let me know if someone stepped on the porch or got up close to one of the windows. She deserved appreciation, not to be "debarked." MableJean, RIP, miss you still!

It's called training, people. Train your dog when to bark and when not to, or don't get a dog.

it's absolutely revolting and can't believe any sane person would do that. It is the same as de-clawing cats. Both practices should be illegal.

REALLY? Now WHY would someone else's choice to do with their dog make me outraged? IT'S NONE OF MY BUSINESS!

because animals have rights too!!!

Unless we can also practice it on people, until then, leave the poor dogs alone.

I don't agree that dogs should be allowed to have a barking free for all but surgery is wrong.

They took my dogs balls they aint touchin his voice!

Barking dogs don't bother me. Stupid people on the other hand......

Can we "de-vocalize" the animal activists instead????

I've known a couple of dogs (not mine) who barked incessantly, despite every attempt to train/retrain them not to do so. It was a 24x7 problem - except when they were sleeping. Even when they were eating they had to bark. The owners didn't want to devocalize their dogs, but the option was to euthanise the dogs. The first option was much better and the dogs lived long healthy lives.

certain breeds are more prone to barking...and being careful what choose makes a difference...
But another choice is giving the dog a new home to someone living the country...where barking doesnt matter

One of the dogs lived in the country... He just suffered from a form of neurosis that could not be treated and had to be brought into the home during inclement weather. The choice was to euthanise ot devocalize. Sometimes those are the only two choices. He was perfectly happy after devocalization - and lived a happy life. This dog was bred poorly by breeders and there was nothing that could be done other than the choice made - which was not made lightly. To completely discard that as an option would have left the family who loved him without him - and him dead, period.

I can't find that believable. I follow Cesar Millan, and he takes the attitude that anything is possible--I am not that optimistic, but have no doubt that he would have found a solution other than surgery--it is too cruel.

euthanize a dog for barking too much...really? an option? because it sure as hell wouldnt have been an option for me or my animal....i think a better option would be to devocalize worthless human wastes such as yourself

Oh my.... This particular dog was evaluated at a major university veterinary hospital, trainers tried to work with him, medications to try to alleviate the barking were administered. There comes a time when no one is getting sleep and something has to be done. This particular dog barked over 18 hours a day and the barking was causing nodes on its vocal cords. Can you comprehend how painful that was for the dog? You are a complete and utter idiot if you do not understand that.

(Edit: I hope you never have to encounter having to make such a decision because, almost assuredly, you'd make the wrong one and your pet's health would suffer.)

i wont have that issue because i actually teach my animals things liket he phrase "no barking" but most people cant even correctly teach and raise a child so how the hell will you people teach an animal

Are you for real? I can't fathom that someone can, possibly, be so stupid. There are some conditions which can cause a dog to bark incessantly. I've been fortunate to never have one, but have had experience with them. Usually, they are the result of poor breeding and there is an issue with their neurological makeup that causes them to bark incessantly. This has nothing to do with teaching them. None of my dogs bark except to warn when someone is around our home who doesn't belong - for which I am very grateful. When they are told to "leave it," they do so. There is no such phrase in training as "no barking," by the way. I've trained several dogs as service dogs as well as trained dogs for behavioral issues. You, however, are a fool and should never be allowed to train any dog as you don't have the capacity to comprehend when the dog is incapable of following a command. Asking certain dogs with specific neurological problems is akin to asking my daughter with Tourette's Syndrome not to tic. It's not only impossible, it's ignorant.

you speak as if every dog in the nation has some type of "neurological problems" or as if everyone who wants to get their dogs devocalized have dogs that have "neurological problems" and both couldnt be further from the truth

some dogs barks so much it makes their throats go raw to the point it may bleed and get infected so it would b a beafit to their health.

Exactly. There are health hazards that exceed devocalization and several of these folks just don't get it.

barking dogs don t bother me at all.

i have a poodle named fifi...at night,i put her in the freezer and watch her thaw out in the morning. one time i was playing surgeon...i took out her bark,and tried to put it back in. oh! i'm sorry! i didn't mean to offend anybody! it's just that when my sister was two years old,she was eaten by a german sheppard.so you can understand my resentment towards dogs. http://www.imdb.com/video/hul...

Yikes

I'd pay for it to be done to the two dogs that keep me awake every night from 2-6 if I knew who they belonged to. They are new to the neighborhood and whomever they belong to lets them out at 2AM then apparently goes back to bed and they bark constantly for 4 hours. Really irritating.