Andrea Rosebrock 
Debarking – the surgical, or brutal, in some cases, alteration of a dogs vocal cords to ‘tone down’ a dog’s bark. I have heard this procedure referred to, mostly in connection to puppy mills where a puppy miller will actually insert a metal object into a dog’s throat and bang it to sever the vocal cords. With the sometimes hundreds of dogs, they don’t want to be bothered with all the noise.
Now it seems it is done and referred to as a ‘cosmetic procedure’ by some vets. Although only a small number of vets actually do the procedure and a small number of dog owners have it done, dog and animal advocates tend to be very up in arms about it at all.
Comments from a couple of vets that actually perform the procedure say that it is done only as a last resort and the dog’s personality is not affected. To them the low raspy bark is still a bark.
The surgery modifies the voice box by “punching” or nicking/clipping the vocal cord. With advance injections, there is little bleeding, and most dogs are eating and drinking within a few hours of the surgery.
The procedure, regardless of what vets say, is still considered highly controversial with one side saying that it’s a useful ‘tool’ to save dog’s lives while others say that it is inhumane and should be outlawed.
Personally I don’t agree with it and think that with proper training a dog should not ever need this but I would love to get some feedback on this. What do you think?
I think used for the right reasons, sometimes its the only solution. I would rather my dog have the operation than the risk of losing him.
I love my dog and hes my best friend so would do anything to keep him. I am about to move to a close housing area and my boy is a screamer, he will scream like he has been hit by a car, which alarms most people (like it would). If it becomes a problem to other people i will have to look into this further.
I hate the idea… but………i love my dog.
Debarking a dog sounds cruel no matter if their is a legimate reason. Wha puppymillers do to these dogs using metal rods is more crueler than a vet’s way of debarking. I think that the vets that do debark a dog should think twice about debarking produrces. Also debarking should be banned and put into law and banned for good.