While a vet over at CityRoom takes questions about the controversial debarking procedure, the NY Times profiles some folks that have put their pups through it. Like Dr. Marder, a veterinarian himself, who had his dog Nestlé's vocal means of communication severed after a neighbor in their Upper East co-op complained. The paper notes that the dog barks and barks... but only manages a sad squeaky wheeze. Marder and his family tell people he's just raspy from all the barking, but the truth of the matter is they had his vocal cords cut.
Many young veterinarians refuse the surgery and side with animal-rights advocates, who are against the procedure and say it's outdated and inhumane. Some humans who have debarked their dogs, however, say there's no change in their furry friend's behavior after the procedure—and one woman challenged, “You may think it’s horrible. But if I had to give up my dog or get the surgery, I would choose the surgery.” On the flip side, the APDT says dogs bark for a reason, and often "because they are bored, lonely, threatened, or otherwise distressed. Debarking silences the dog without addressing the environmental issues that are causing the stress and the debarking." Some nonsurgical methods if you are stuck between and bark and hard place: try spraying citronella when your dog gets vocal, or get that sucker trained!
While the procedure is banned in New Jersey and elsewhere—it is legal in New York City, where there are barking laws meant to control the duration in which a pet is making noise. However, 311 still took in almost 7,000 barking dog complaints last year.
