Debarking Surgery For Dogs
One issue that never fails to strike up debate within the dog owners’ community is the issue of debarking surgery for dogs. Dog debarking surgery is a surgical procedure that drastically reduces the volume of a dog’s bark. It is commonly carried out on large and loud breeds of dogs, for example shetlands and collies. And dogs that bark non-stop tend to be the ones normally targeted by this procedure.
The operation involves putting the dog under with general anaesthesia and then cutting the tissue surrounding the dog’s vocal chords to reduce the dog’s ability to bark. The tissue is accessed either through the dog’s mouth or through an incision made on the neck.
Debarking surgery for dogs doesn’t completely get rid of the dog’s bark, but it will normally be replaced by a much quieter but somewhat disturbing wheezing sound when the dog attempts to bark. Some people call debarking “bark softening”, a euphemism for what many view as a gruesome procedure.
Experts and dog owners have very strong opinions of debarking. There are people who assert the necessity of debarking as a last resort for dogs who can’t stop barking, while others contend that debarking is unwarranted cruelty.
Those Who Are Tolerant of Debarking
People who tolerate debarking argue that it is acceptable because it is only used in extreme circumstances. Dog owners have already exhausted all other avenues of trying to reduce the dog’s barking, and the barking has become a true nuisance. They sometimes argue that after being debarked, the dog now has the freedom to bark without being scolded by its owners, improving the dog’s quality of life.
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Another point people on this side of the debate make is that debarking can save dogs from being euthanized. Dogs that become a true nuisance for their owners and their communities might evenutally be abandoned or euthanized by the owners. Rather than getting rid of the dog, debarking can modify the dog’s unnacceptable behaviour and restore a positive role for the dog at hom.
Those Who Are Opposed to Debarking
People who are against debarking feel that it is cruel and inhumane. Since the dog can’t give his consent for the procedure, and indeed never asked to be a domesticated animal. To debilitate the dog’s body and one of its natural functions is a cruel punishment for doing what dogs are naturally meant to do: bark.
They also argue that debarking doesn’t address the underlying reasons for the dog’s barking. Maybe the dog is being left outside all day and is bored and lonely without any companionship. Perhaps you bought a large guard dog but your property is too small, so every 10 seconds the dog sees a passerby and barks in defence of your property. In such a case there is nothing wrong with the dog, only with the size of the yard. After being debarked, dogs usually continue to bark just as much as before, just at a lower value with a strange timbre. The owners have taken the easy way out without rectifying the real problem.
Those who oppose the surgery are also uneasy with subjecting the dog to the risk of a major operation under general anaesthetic. The minor benefits and lack of moral justification don’t permit the dog to put at such risk, according to the opponents of debarking.
Debarking surgery for dogs will probably always be the center of some debate amongst dog owners and vets. Though its benefits of convenience and the lessening of noise pollution and nuisance are easy to understand, it seems hard to morally justify a procedure that limits the dog’s natural ability to use its own voice, when the dog has done nothing wrong and is simply behaving like a dog. My position is quite firmly against the procedure, except perhaps with extenuating circumstances. But basically, I think people need to be educated about the kinds of dogs they are buying, what role they play (ie. guard dog, comfort dog, etc.), how much they tend to bark, and how suitable they will be for your home and property. If you live in an apartment or small property and you have a large loud dog that disturbs the neighbours, that shows the owner’s own misbehaviour rather than the dog’s.
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