What does it mean to debark or devocalize your dog?

Debarking, or devocalization, is a controversial surgical procedure in dogs that permanently stops a dog from barking through surgery. Debarking reduces the volume and pitch of a dog's bark making it sound more as if the dog is hoarse or whispering. This is done in response to problematic amounts of barking. Up to 35% of dog owners report problems with barking, which can cause disputes and legal problems that are often considered more important than the individual canines themselves.

The controversial surgical procedure known as 'de-barking' is a veterinary procedure for modifying the voice box so that a barking dog will make a significantly reduced noise. Animal rights organizations have strongly opposed debarking. Those who have the procedure done claim their dogs are non-responsive to other therapies. Imagine for a moment that someone forces you into surgery and takes away your ability to communicate and verbally express yourself. This is what debarking is for a dog. Puppy mills have utilized a particularly cruel and crude method of debarking dogs. ramming a metal pipe down dogs throats. Animal rights activists have been trying to educate the public about this terrible practice. ***

I'm supplying this edit in argument to the aforesaid information, as I have problems with the accuracy of the stated information. Hearing is the least important sense to a dog, so losing the ability to bark loudly won't impact communication. Dogs rely heavily on body language, and even deaf dogs who never learn to bark do very well in multiple dog households. Debarking a dog usually still allows them to bark, it just reduces how loud the barks are and how far the barks carry.

This surgery can literally be a life saver for someone whose dog barks so much that the neighbors are complaining. Owners can face fines, confiscation and euthanasia of the dog if the barking can't be brought under control by other means. Many dogs are problem barkers, and no amount of training, medications or bark collars will stop them, especially if its due to anxiety.

The animal rights activists want to outlaw debarking, but they don't present a solution to the problem presented by the many dogs that will be killed when their desperate, loving owners have run out of other options. This surgery can be a life saver! ----------- I edited both questions in order to reduce the invective that had nothing whatsoever to do with the answer or the objective facts supplied. I think it's fair on the one hand to say that any intrusive surgery should only be performed when medically necessary, as any surgery creates a health risk to the subject. Surgery without good clinical cause is unethical. That said, we live in a world where well-meaning dog owners may be presented with the options of giving up a barking dog or facing legal repercussions that can be quite extensive, and may well force the issue. Putting a barking dog out on the street, admitting it to Animal Control, either voluntarily or seeing the animal seized under court order, or putting the dog down in order to comply with a court order can be the other side of de-barking. I would suggest that, in the case of a choice between debarking an animal, or putting it down, de-barking has met the criterion for medical necessity. In this case, I leave it to the reader to determine which is the greater kindness. ----------------------------------------- i got a better opinion of what to do in this situation. instead of debarking your dog or putting it to sleep because of the barking and the neighbors getting bothered an all... how about you just dont get a dog at all. if you own a pet and you cant control it, best option would be to be petless and that would pretty much keep dogs from being put to "sleep" or being "debarked".