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Originally Posted by QuickSilver  I have to admit I was pretty horrified when I opened this thread, but then I got to thinking: we breed our dogs artificially, we take away their sex organs, we cut off their tails, we choose when they die... I know this is a very bald way of putting it, but a surgical de-bark doesn't seem out of the question to me.
HOWEVER, like others have said, I would consider it an absolute last resort. Your dog may need his bark someday to let you know he's in trouble, or to tell others that YOU are in trouble. He needs his bark to communicate with other dogs. And from what I have heard, the resulting sounds are really pitiful.
Thor barked inside a lot until I tried pennies in a can. I literally shook it maybe a dozen times, and that was the end of that. Much cheaper, much faster, and much less invasive. |
You make a neat little list, but if you consider each of these individually, they don't necessary have to be cruel. We breed dogs, yes, but good breeders understand how to do this successfully and not produce a genetically crippled offspring. Taking away a dogs sex organs is also not a cruel behavior, what I believe to be cruel, is having a male dog who has this incredible urge, and yet no way to satisfy it. Cutting off their tails, if done early, and with the correct procedure, I also consider not to be cruel. Your last reason of choosing when they die, is perhaps the kindest thing we do for animals that we don't do for humans. However, there are some breeders who recommend hitting the dog with a hammer to induce death.
Any of these things can be done cruelly, we all know breeders who breed 3 pounders who are at risk for cesareans, later joint problems, and worst. We all know breeders who breed a young dog before they even know if he has genetic ailments. I've read of breeders who perform neutering and spaying with no anesthesia, and of course all the byb's who don't know how to properly cut tails, and are too cheap to see a vet. These are the same people who often use debarking methods, and it usually involves a medal tube crammed down a dog's throat, very cost effective.
Even though the surgery she's choosing is a humane alternative, the result is the same, and the dog will know it can no longer bark, this is the part, I believe is inhumane. Neutered dogs, don't know what they're missing.
I would rehome a dog before I would consider debarking.