Here's the Truth: Debarking Dogs Is Inhumane

Debarking is a veterinary surgical procedure — and, yes, debarking is inhumane.

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) recently changed its position on this inhumane procedure and now deems debarking unethical.

The AVMA also opposes “convenience devocalization as a non-therapeutic procedure that negatively impacts the welfare of the dog.”

Debarking Is Inhumane

Debarking, or devocalization, is a surgical procedurewhere a surgeon removes tissue from a dog’s vocal cords to permanently reduce the volume of their vocalization.

Debarking makes barking less noisy, but the dog tries to bark nonetheless. The sound from a debarked dog is a mutated, constricted, hoarse bark. People debark dogs for these reasons and more:

1. They can’t deal with a dog barking too much (and they never tried proper training), or the puppy failed training, or the people gave up on other anti-barking training modalities.
2. Neighbor complaints about a dog’s barking escalate, leading to local animal control or government involvement or legal action.
3. People have too many dogs for a variety of reasons and debark them to keep noise levels down, either for themselves or to avoid noise complaints.

My Debarked Dog

Debarking is a canine rights issue that has affected me since I was a veterinary student.

Before vet school, I had never heard of debarking. Going into a dog’s throat and cutting out part of their laryngeal apparatus to stop barking? Nope. Never heard of it.

Then, in my second year of vet school, a debarked “laboratory animal” entered my life.

Elvis was nothin’ but a hound dog in the wrong place at the wrong time. He landed in a vet school, already debarked by an animal supplier.

This dog had been used for very tame and lame student blood sampling for a few months, then slated for euthanasia if a student didn't adopt him. I adopted him.

Elvis lived to a ripe old age with me, using his debarked hound howl until he died at 15 years old.

His pitiful bark was disconcerting to anyone who heard this coonhound try to raise a ruckus with a strangled voice box.

When he barked, people always asked me what was wrongwith him. “Someone debarked him,” I answered.

Here’s a sampling of the responses I received, always with fabulous regional outrage:

• South Philly: “Oh God, hon, kill the [expletive] people that did that to him. God bless that dog, hon. And you, too, hon. Here’s a pretzel and a cheese steak for that wonderful dog.” Since Elvis suffered from stress colitis, I kept the fabulous Philadelphia street food and ate it myself.
• New York: “Who would do that to a dawg? How sick are people, right? Gawd bless you for adopting him. I mean, people are sick, right? Just sick.” No New York street food this time.
• Massachusetts: “Shameful.” A direct and to-the-point conversation in New England.

The verdict seems unanimous. Debarking is not something that normal, thinking, feeling human beings understand as a solution for a barking dog -- not on a Philly street corner, in Brooklyn or in any open field or town anywhere. Debarking is inhumane.

Requests to Perform Debarking Surgery

My first debarking request came when I was a young veterinarian. A woman made an appointment with me for a “throat problem.”

She had bred a toy breed and lived in a fancy apartment building. She told me she had all her dogs debarked so she could keep 15 or so in her apartment at any given time, keep the noise down and continue breeding.

I was now her vet, she said, and I would be debarking her dogs.

I told her I did not know how to do the procedure (true) and that she should find another vet.

My outrage was intense, internal and seething, but I felt debarked myself at the moment. I couldn't find the voice to convey my disgust at her request.

I never saw her again.

Years later, a client asked me to debark her dog. This time, I declined with intensity: “You purchased a purebred dog, a breed notorious for a barking issue. You failed to train it and refuse to seriously work on this barking disasternow. You are not taking my behavioral suggestions seriously. I refuse to surgically alter your dog’s barking apparatus.”

I never saw her again either.

Positive Changes from the AVMA

In a long statement from the AVMAabout why debarking is unethical, here are some highlights:

• “Barking is a natural behavior and method of communication for dogs, and devocalization deprives the dog from performing this natural behavior.”
• “Devocalization is also frequently ineffective in preventing inappropriate or excessive debarking.”

This brings me back to my great old hound dog, the one and only Elvis. Elvis loved to bark his entire life, despite his mutilated vocal cords. His “devocalization” procedure was indeed ineffective.

Hopefully, Elvis had no idea he sounded different from the other hound dogs on the block.

Or did he? Did Elvis know that his true and honest ability to express his dog voice had been taken from him?

Watch this recent discussion about the debate over dog debarking:

Debarking Is Inhumane — And Let's Hope It's Soon a Thing of the Past

I’m envisioning a world where debarking never occurs in real life, only on Dogflix: So we know the scene is coming, right?

The scalpel. The surgically prepped dog throat. We cover our muzzles with our paws and we bark out loud,“No! Don’t let that happen to that dog! I can’t watch!”

Saved by changing ethics! Uncover those beautiful, fluffy noses!

Debarking, I predict, is soon to be found only in dog horror flicks. And since those don’t exist, I hope inhumane debarking truly becomes a thing of the past.

This pet health content was written by a veterinarian, Dr. Debora Lichtenberg, VMD. It was last reviewed July 18, 2018.

If you have questions or concerns, call your vet, who is best equipped to ensure the health and well-being of your pet. This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information.