Be the voice of the voiceless

We the undersigned believe that the surgical procedure of devocalization (also known as bark softening or debarking) is a cruel procedure that needs to be stopped. It involves cutting the vocal folds (equivalent to our vocal cords) by way of biopsy forceps inserted through the mouth, in order to reduce the loudness of the barking. There are many extremely negative, often life-threatening side effects, such as scar tissue blocking the airway, causing the animal to choke on food and water. Another way that this procedure can be performed is by way of an incision into the larynx with a scalpel. Both of these methods are extremely invasive and offer no benefit to the animal.

This procedure is also commonly done at puppy mills in order to not draw attention to themselves due to excessive barking. When done on puppy mills, it is often performed by banging a pipe down the animal's throat to sever the vocal folds.

Devocalization is illegal in the UK, Denmark, and the US state of Massachusetts as a form of mutilation.

We would like to thank you for taking the time to read about this very important issue.