Devocalization

Devocalization (also known as ventriculocordectomy or vocal cordectomy, and when performed on dogs may euphemistically be called debarking or bark softening) is a surgical procedure applied to dogs and cats, where tissue is removed from the animal’s vocal cords in order to permanently reduce the volume of their vocalizations. The procedure is outlawed as a form of mutilation in the United Kingdom and all countries that have signed the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals. In the United States, devocalization is illegal by state law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, state of New Jersey and by city ordinance in Warwick, Rhode Island. Efforts to ban devocalization are underway in other states.