Devocalization

Devocalization is usually performed at the request of an animal owner (where the procedure is legally permitted). The procedure may be forcefully requested as a result of a court order. Owners or breeders generally request the procedure because of excessive animal vocalizations, complaining neighbors, or as an alternative to euthanasia due to a court order.

Risks of the procedure include negative reaction to anesthesia, infection, bleeding, and pain. There is also the possibility that the removed tissue will grow back, or of scar tissue blocking the throat{{snd}}both cases requiring further surgeries{{snd}}though with the incisional technique the risk of fibrosis is virtually eliminated.

The devocalization procedure does not take away a dog's ability to bark. Dogs will normally bark just as much as before the procedure. After the procedure, the sound will be softer, typically about half as loud as before, or less, and it is not as sharp or piercing.[http://www.noisehelp.com/debarking-dogs.html Debarking Dogs: Bark Softening Surgery] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022200935/http://www.noisehelp.com/debarking-dogs.html |date=2013-10-22 }}, April, 2013

Most devocalized dogs have a subdued "husky" bark, audible up to 20 metres.[http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/dpi/nreninf.nsf/LinkView/1722EE167DB67390CA256C19000EFD4A4E532A5FF42FDB794A256DEA0027A696 Code of practice for debarking of dogs], Bureau of Animal Welfare, Attwood, Victoria, Australia, October, 2001

The surgery may be performed via the animal's mouth, with a portion of the vocal folds removed using a biopsy punch, cautery tool, scissor, or laser. The procedure may also be performed via an incision in the throat and through the larynx, which is a more invasive technique. All devocalization procedures require general anesthesia.[http://www.mushing.com/articles/content.php?vw=2,,0,487 Ventriculocordectomy ("Debarking")] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714133559/http://www.mushing.com/articles/content.php?vw=2,,0,487 |date=2011-07-14 }}, by Dawn Brown DVM, April 12, 2009, Mushing magazine

Chronic, excessive vocalization may be due to improper socialization or training, stress, boredom, fear, or frustration.[http://www.idausa.org/facts/cossurgery.html Cosmetic Surgery for Dogs and Cats] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090329081508/http://idausa.org/facts/cossurgery.html |date=2009-03-29 }}, In Defense of Animals Up to 35% of dog owners report problems with barking, which can cause disputes and legal problems.[http://www.vin.com/VINDBPub/SearchPB/Proceedings/PR05000/PR00017.htm Declawing and Debarking: What are the Alternatives?]: World Small Animal Veterinary Association, World Congress – Vancouver 2001 The behavior is more common among some breeds of dog, such as the Shetland Sheepdog, which are known as loud barkers, due to the nature of the environment in which the breed was developed.

Vocalizations are a natural behavior of animals which they use widely in intra-specific and inter-specific communication. As such, devocalization should generally be considered only as a last resort. Before this surgical intervention, there are other, less invasive interventions which can be considered to overcome excessive vocalizations.

Training can be one of the most effective techniques to help combat excessive barking in dogs. Acquiring the help of a professional dog trainer can often help reduce an animal's barking.{{cite web|last=Millan|first=Cesar|title=Mr|url=http://www.cesarsway.com/tips/problembehaviors/5-tips-for-handling-nuisance-barking|accessdate=29 April 2013}}

The use of automatic and manual corrective collars can be useful as a training aid when used correctly;{{citation needed|date=November 2013}} however, the use of corrective collars, particularly shock collars, is controversial and banned in some countries. Types of corrective collars include vibration, citronella spray, ultrasonic and electrostatic/shock collar.{{cn|date=December 2022}}

Because dogs often bark excessively due to stress, boredom, or frustration, changing aspects of an animal's environment to make them more content is a suitable way to quiet them down, rather than forcibly silencing a distressed animal.{{cn|date=December 2022}} Spending more time with an animal, such as playing, walking, and other bonding activities, will keep them occupied and make them feel more at ease. If the animal is stressed, it is best to remove the object that is causing them discomfort.{{cn|date=December 2022}}

In some regions of the US and in the UK, convenience devocalization is considered a form of surgical mutilation.http://www.humanesociety.org/assets/pdfs/hsvma/devocalization-fact-sheet-1.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329121319/http://www.humanesociety.org/assets/pdfs/hsvma/devocalization-fact-sheet-1.pdf |date=2017-03-29 }} {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}

Most veterinarians and the RSPCA offer information to behavioral schools on how to train dogs not to bark.

Several reasons are offered in favor of devocalization.

• Dogs are allowed to bark freely, however this is a completely unnatural behavior because the animal they where domesticated from (wolfs) never bark. Dogs do not communicate with other dogs by barking, they use pheromones like wolfs.
• The animal is no longer subject to constant disapproval (discipline).
• Animals that previously had to be kept indoors can be allowed outdoors again.

Further, breeds and individual animals known for excessive barking/vocalizing have a higher chance of being adopted/rescued and not being repeatedly re-homed if/when training fails.

Kathy Gaughan points out that "the surgery stops the barking, but it doesn't address why the dog was barking in the first place."{{cite web|url=http://www.understandinganimals.com/news/8 |title=Debarking surgery won't take away dog's motivation to bark|website=Understanding Animals|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040312123624/http://www.understandinganimals.com/news/8|archive-date=2004-03-12|url-status=dead}} Gaughan notes that visitors to her clinic who request debarking are usually looking for a "quick fix". Gaughan states that, commonly, those who seek debarking live in apartments, or have neighbors who complain. Since dogs where domesticated as outdoor animals and have spent 1000s of years living outdoors, it is inhumane to keep dogs indoors. Ideally, the proper solution is to never ever keep dogs inside a building, as this is cruel. Gaughan also counts "breeders with many dogs" among those who most often seek convenience devocalization. However, Gaughan does not agree with those who claim the procedure is cruel, stating: "Recently, some animal advocates have asserted this surgery is cruel to the animal; some countries have even outlawed the procedure. I do not believe the surgical procedure is cruel; however, failing to address the underlying factors is inappropriate."{{cite web|url=http://www.mediarelations.k-state.edu/WEB/News/Webzine/0201/debarking.html |title=Opinion: The pros and cons of debarking |author=K-State Perspectives |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070523000336/http://www.mediarelations.k-state.edu/WEB/News/Webzine/0201/debarking.html |archivedate=May 23, 2007 }}

Some breeders seek the surgery in order to limit or diminish noise levels for personal reasons ranging from convenience to prevention; some breeders even seek the surgery for puppies prior to going to new homes.{{Citation needed|date=May 2011}}

Multiple animal medicine and animal welfare organizations discourage the use of convenience devocalization, recommending that it be used only as a last resort. However, organizations such as the American Veterinary Medical Association, American Animal Hospital Association and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, oppose laws that would make devocalization illegal.

The American Veterinary Medical Association's official position is that "canine devocalization should be performed only by qualified, licensed veterinarians as a final alternative after behavioral modification efforts to correct excessive vocalization have failed."[http://www.avma.org/issues/policy/animal_welfare/devocalization.asp AVMA policy: Canine Devocalization] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090421072815/http://avma.org/issues/policy/animal_welfare/devocalization.asp |date=2009-04-21 }} (Approved by the AVMA Executive Board June 2002; reaffirmed April 2008; oversight: Animal Welfare Committee)

The AVMA's position was later adopted by the American Animal Hospital Association.[http://student.aahanet.org/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?site=resources&webcode=referenceDetail&postKey=aeb28db3-a4f3-48fa-97b7-f36055863b4a Canine Devocalization Position Statement] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100713105917/http://student.aahanet.org/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?site=resources&webcode=referenceDetail&postKey=aeb28db3-a4f3-48fa-97b7-f36055863b4a |date=2010-07-13 }}, American Animal Hospital Association[http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/dec03/031215e.asp New AAHA position statement opposes cosmetic ear cropping, tail docking]

The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association's position statement on devocalization of dogs states: "The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) discourages 'devocalization' of dogs unless it is the only alternative to euthanasia, and humane treatment and management methods have failed."{{cite web|author=Canadian Veterinary Medical Association|title = CVMA: Devocalization of Dogs – Position Statement|url=https://www.canadianveterinarians.net/documents/devocalization-of-dogs|accessdate=November 7, 2015}}

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) recommends that animal caretakers first attempt to address animal behavior problems with humane behavior modification techniques or with a treatment protocol set up by an animal behavior specialist. The ASPCA recommends surgery only if behavior modification techniques have failed, and the animal is at risk of losing its home or its life.[http://www.aspca.org/about-us/policy-positions/surgical-procedures-for-resolving-behavior-problems.html Position Statement on Surgical Procedures for Resolving Behavior Problems], American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

The legality of convenience devocalization varies by jurisdiction.

The procedure is outlawed as a form of mutilation in the United Kingdom and all countries that have signed the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals.{{cite web|title=European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals|url=http://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list/-/conventions/rms/090000168007a67d|website=Council of Europe|accessdate=29 July 2016}} In the United States, devocalization is illegal in Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Warwick, Rhode Island.{{Citation needed|date=April 2013}}

Debarking is specifically prohibited in the UK, along with ear cropping, tail docking, and declawing (cats too).{{cite web |url=http://www.hastings.gov.uk/animal_welfare/ |title=Animal Welfare Charter |accessdate=2008-07-20 |publisher=Hastings Borough Council |quote=It is now illegal for ear cropping and debarking of dogs as well as the declawing of cats to take place. |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121004101/http://www.hastings.gov.uk/animal_welfare/ |archivedate=2008-11-21 }} By law, convenience devocalization is considered a form of surgical mutilation.

In the United States, laws vary by state. In 2000, anti-debarking legislation was proposed in California, New Jersey, and Ohio.{{Citation needed|date=August 2009}} The California and New Jersey bills failed, partially due to opposition from groups who predicted the ban would lead to similar bans on ear cropping and other controversial cosmetic surgical procedures on dogs. The Ohio bill survived, and was signed into law by Governor Robert Taft in August 2000.[http://www.animalpeoplenews.org/02/5/animalcontrol0502.html Animal control is people control] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722052120/http://www.animalpeoplenews.org/02/5/animalcontrol0502.html |date=2011-07-22 }}, Animal People News, May 2002 However, Ohio Revised Code 955.22 outlawed debarking only of dogs considered "vicious".[http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/955.22 Confining, restraining, debarking dogs.], Ohio Revised Code

In February 2009, 15-year-old Jordan Star of Needham, Massachusetts, filed a bill to outlaw performing convenience devocalization procedures upon cats and dogs."[http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1149346 Teen Files Bill to Make Vocal Surgery Illegal]: Putting a Bite into Debarking", Boston Herald. February 02, 2009. The bill was co-sponsored by Senator Scott Brown, with the title Logan's Law, after a debarked sheepdog. Star said of convenience devocalization: "To take a voice away from an animal is morally wrong." The bill became state law on April 23, 2010. Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Session Laws, Chapter 82, An Act Prohibiting Devocalization of Dogs and Cats: http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Acts/2010/Chapter82

Devocalizing cats and dogs also became illegal in Warwick, Rhode Island, by city ordinance in 2011.City of Warwick, RI, Chapter 4 Animals and Fowl, Article IV, Animal Care; Spaying and Neutering Dogs and Cats, Sec. 4-132. Devocalization prohibited: http://www.warwickri.gov/pdfs/cityclerk/2010/PCO-29-10.pdf{{Dead link|date=July 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Legislation to ban devocalization of dogs and cats in New York State is pending.{{cn|date=June 2022}}

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• [http://www.naiaonline.org/articles/article/debarking-bark-softening-myths-and-facts "Debarking (Bark Softening) – Myths and Facts"]
• [http://www.noisehelp.com/debarking-dogs.html "Debarking Dogs: Bark Softening Surgery"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022200935/http://www.noisehelp.com/debarking-dogs.html |date=2013-10-22 }}

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