Recently the state of MA passed a law making it illegal to have a licensed veterinarian perform a simple procedure often called "debarking". It's also called bark softening (a more correct term) or devocalization. Bark softening is a procedure that takes very little time to perform when done correctly and has a very short recovery period as well. The ban includes cats and dogs. We've been "in dogs" for over twenty years, I had a grooming shop for several years, worked for vet and I can honestly say I've never heard of a cat being "meow" softened or demewed. Fact has never been a long suit for AR supporters, why should it stop them now?
There are two methods of bark softening - one is called the oral method, the other is called laryngotomy. The oral method done properly takes around two minutes and involves using a simply biopsy punch tool to remove a small piece of the vocal chord, one from each chord. It involves almost no bleeding, and recovery time is almost nil. The laryngotomy is rarely used! It is in fact it is rarely if ever recommended. Because of the nature of the process, this procedure was the one purported to be most used. WRONG, simply and honestly, wrong - lies and misinformation from our friends in the AR world.
The hue and cry that took place in MA was reminiscent of other past "be afraid" campaigns, humans were burned at the stake then. The new witch in this case is a procedure that allows many people who have chronic barkers the ability to continue to own their animals. By making it impossible for someone to keep a dog (many areas now have ordinances that make nuisance barking punishable by removing the barking dog) one of those incremental steps from AR can be reached. By putting someone in a position where they must decide to either move or surrender a dog, another statistic is achieved - more animals surrendered to a shelter, thus amplifying the overpopulation myth. Let's not worry ourselves about the fact that many people simply cannot afford to move in the current economic conditions.
Barking dogs are annoying, no doubt about it. I have a chronic barker and she is incredibly annoying. We have tried every single training method known to modern man and still she barks and barks. We rarely if ever know what sets her off. I will probably have her debarked. I live in an area where the laws are pretty forgiving, but there are nuisance laws and if I were my neighbors I'd probably complain!
How on earth did this happen? How did a body of legislators buy every word written by AR supporters and ignore everything written by dog fanciers, veterinarians, dog trainers, dog owners, cat fanciers and many more? It was a feel good law - Ohhhhh let's protect the poor dogs from the evil, lazy dog owners. They are removing the doggy's ability to communicate, makes it impossible for him to interact with other dogs, frustrates him, leaves him scarred and unable to breathe. The law was proposed by a well meaning teenager who was misinformed and who's parents encouraged him to participate in the democratic process. GOOD FOR HIM - but what about the thousands of dogs who will be surrendered because of this ill authored legislation?
Myth 1: Debarking eliminates a dogs means of vocal communication.
Fact 1: Bark softened dogs are still able to bark, the level of the bark is lower. Dogs do not communicate by only barking, they rely on body language, olfactory senses, visual senses AND vocalization.
Myth 2: Debarked dogs become frustrated and angry.
Fact 2: The dog doesn't know it's barking more softly. Not a single study of debarked dogs has shown any signs of aggression or frustration that were not part of the dogs personality before the surgery.
Myth 3: Bark softening or debarking causes severe scarring and leads to impaired breathing.
Fact 3: The use of the laryngtomy CAN lead to scarring. That is one reason it is rarely used.
Myth 4: Only people who fight their dogs, have puppy mills, or are engaged in illegal activities want to be able to debark their dogs.
Fact 4: Many people who show their dogs bark soften. There can be upwards of 1500 dogs at any given show - that leads to lots of barking. Chronic barkers are often simply habit barkers.
Myth 5: Excessive barking can be trained out of any dog. Only lazy people or people who want their dog quiet for convenience debark their dogs. They are being cruel out of laziness or neglect.
Fact 5: Almost all herding breeds use barking as a means of "moving" the animals they herd. Ask anyone who has ever owned more than ONE sheltie at a time if you can train them not to bark. Some dogs are hardwired to bark.
Myth 6: Puppy millers ram a pipe down a dogs throat to debark them.
Fact 6: This is simply the stupidest of myths - think about this for a moment. The process would more than likely kill the dog. It's just not done. There has never been a reported case of this actually happening. This is pure and simple an AR myth.
Myth 7: A dog's vocal chords are removed during the procedure.
Fact 7: In the oral method, a small hole is "punched" in the vocal chord, lowering the volume of the bark. The laryngotomy is a much more serious surgery and is not normally used for debarking.
The confusing part of all this is that most ardent AR supporters firmly believe that all dogs and cats must, not should, but MUST be spayed or neutered. How is it that a simple procedure that takes 2 minutes is cruel, while surgically removing an animals reproductive system is not? Like most AR beliefs, this one is illogical and emotional with little basis in fact at all. Unfortunately, we can expect a plague of similar laws being proposed across the US this year, along with anti cropping and docking following close on it's heels.
Medical procedures should be between an owner and their vet. To take a legitimate procedure and make it criminal is, in fact, just criminal in my opinion. Watch your local legislators and your state. Don't let some teenager and his AR lite parents take away your rights.
Ziyadah Clarken Making Waves - Gidget - the incredible barking machine - in repose.
And what about those chronic barkers who could be kicked out of their home because of their bark levels? Or rescue dogs who are perfectly wonderful and in need of a home but because of their seriously loud bark can't get one? Shouldn't they have the right to have a loving home as well? Yes, intense training, humane bark collars, etc, of course. We all know what to try first. But the fact is that there are some dogs who need a little help and who just won't ever 'get it.' Just like there are people who need medication. It should be between a doctor/vet and their patient. Not a group of misguided animal activists with an agenda to eliminate pet ownership completely. It is the dogs who will suffer. Shame on them.
Posted by: Cathy Santarsiero | 04/06/2010 at 07:19 PM