Massachusetts is considering banning the surgery to "de-bark" a dog. Apparently if a dog in a neighborhood barked and barked and barked all day long, the town could tell the owner to get the dog surgically "fixed".

Here is the write-up -

http://telegram.com/article/20091112/NEWS/911120726/1116

This is a tough issue for me. I feel strongly that if the dog is barking that much, that something is wrong. Maybe the owner got the wrong type of dog, one that needs constant attention, and then abandons it all day long. It's not the dog's fault if its nature is to want to be with others! It's the owner's fault for putting the dog into a bad situation. Some dogs just aren't meant to be alone.

But that all being said, if you tell someone who has owned a dog for say 5 years that "you have to give up your pet you love, because you're not caring for it well" they are probably not going to agree. What if the dog is not one that gets adopted easily? I.e. what if the dog is now going to be killed, because they can't find a new owner for him?

I admit I am very pet-happy, but if I was the owner I would move to a new location and get two dogs, in a big outdoor run, so they could play together, as my solution. I would not keep my dog in a situation where it was so miserable it kept barking all day long. I wouldn't resort to surgery, to keep the pet's sadness from bothering the neighbors.

This is a tough call. Kaylee, my wonderful little rescue, is a de-barked dog. That was how I found her in the shelter.

She tries to bark all the time though, and makes these cute little shrieks instead. But she obviously *enjoys* vocalizing. Very much so. So I am glad she is de-barked in that sense, as I would never have had it done...but yet I don't have to have a dog that loves to bark that is barking all the time.

I do not know if I am saying this well. I am reaping the benefits of this sad thing done to her, in this sense. If she barked as much as she makes these little shrieks, I'd be kicked out of every RV park.

What type of a dog is she, again? Maybe she was encouraged and taught to bark a lot as a puppy.

For example, our younger cat didn't vocalize a lot when we first got her as a stray in our back yard. However, we think it's cute when she "talks" to us so we encourage her. She mrowls at us. We mrowl back. She mrowls back. So now she's very "talkative".

I know some dog owners who love stirring their dogs up, jumping up and down with them and encouraging them to make lots of noise. Maybe someone like that owned her before?

Perhaps that is the case. She is Pomeranian and Schipperke. She looks almost exactly like this dog.

Both breeds are considered good watchdogs (code = barking dogs) and the Pom esp enjoys a good bark. Both breeds are very clever and good communicators. Kaylee squeaks (barks) when she wants to go out, wants a treat, wants to be petted, wants to be picked up, wants anything at all...it's the first thing she does when I wake up in the morning...she does it when someone walks by, when she sees another dog, when she sees anything anywhere.

Debarking might have been what someone did to her to keep her with them, as a last resort. Whether they gave up on her or she ran off (which is another thing she enjoys doing) is up to debate. it is clear to me that someone used to smack her in the face, as she is wary and shy of hands. My guess is from her barking.

She is no longer hand shy but it took many months of solid love from me to have her trust that my hands mean good things like pets, treats and being picked up.

Excuse me, but I have never felt as strong about any other subject on here, as I do on this!! What a mean thing to even THINK of. If you want an animal that does not make noise, get a fish.

I totally agree about the dogs being miserable out in the back yard, while everyone else in their "pack" is in the house, enjoying life. This is also a mean thing to do to a social animal!

To get back on topic, sorry, de-barking a dog is taking away one of the most enjoyable things a dog does. I would move. Well, first of all, I would not have my dog in the back yard. If I'm going to have a pet, I want it to be part of my family and I'm not going to spend much time in the yard. But again, I'm coming back on topic.

De-barking... I can't think of a good enough reason to do that. The town should pass that law. I hope the do. I was so affected by the post that I didn't read the article yet! I'm going to do that.

If you scroll down, here are my two little doggie-loves here.

Well, I went back and read the article. I also read some of the comments. The one comment that sticks in my brain is "Don't blame the dog, blame the owners". My son has a dog they got from the shelter as a puppy. They worked with her on the barking. For a very short while, he even put one of those things on her that the owner pushes a button and it sends a little shock when they bark. Melody HATED that thing, but she is now aware of the fact that she is not supposed to bark all the time, and she doesn't. Of course, again, he worked with her also, spending time with her without that thing. But mostly she does what my son wants her to do because dogs want to please their pack leader.

Leave it to human beings to come up with this procedure in the first place! I do hope they pass that ban.

I don't know what to say to people who have to make a choice to move or put their dog down. The poor dog is the one who pays the price for their owner not working with them or spending enough time with them, or taking the time to find out what the real problem is with their dog. This subject is upsetting but possibly it might cause dog owners to be more responsible in the first place in their choice of dogs, and where they choose to live. Agggggggghhh! I could go on all night!

Jilly for all dogs everywhere, I thank you for taking in that sweet looking doggie! It's really a shame that happened to her but at least she has you and your family now. They look like quite the pair, tiny to big!

What absolute cuties!

Just to clarify on my theoretical setup, I got the sense from the articles that the dog was barking a lot while the owner was off at work. So I was saying, if I had to work outside of the house, that I would make sure the dog had a friend or two and a big "doggie playground" to enjoy while I was at work. Not that the dog and his friend would be out there while I was inside

But of course, in my real world, I work from home, so my dogs would be with me non stop all the time, like my cats and birds are

To clarify on the bill, it's for the whole state of Massachusetts, not just for one town.

Yea, I feel the same way, Lisa. It's such a shame that people try to keep big dogs in rented condos or flats or apts. And the people who keep their doggies out back to live.

I can relate to making sure your animal is happy in it's home. I probably go "over the top", but if my "family" isn't happy, I am not happy. The couch belongs to my doggie. In fact I GOT the couch for him. a few years ago I had to put steps there and in front of "our" bed so he could get up there with out injuring himself. And on and on.

But most people aren't like that and I wish they were. At least if they pass that bann, they might "redeem' themselves. I guess. I have not followed this but I think I will now.