A bulletin put up by the Ang Mo Kio branch of the Housing Development Board (HDB) is making its rounds online, provoking the ire of dog lovers everywhere.
In it, the authorities advise dog owners with loudly barking dogs to ‘permanently mute’ them, in response to feedback about a “dog barking nuisance in the middle of the night” in an Ang Mo Kio flat.
Though loud dogs waking up the neighbours may be annoying, it’s still a little excessive to make dogs go through devocalisation procedures, which involve a surgery to removes tissue from the animal’s vocal cords. Dogs that undergo the procedure are still able to bark, albeit softly. In some cases, they become permanently mute. Studies have shown that devocalised animals become emotionally distraught after the procedure.
Non-profit animal welfare organisation Action for Singapore Dogs (ASD) has voiced their strong objections against HDB’s counsel, stressing that debarking is “an extremely cruel and painful procedure” that “should not be publicly put out without advice from experts as it sets a wrong mindset that such solutions are ethical or safe”.
Many international animal welfare authorities including the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) have stated that debarking should only be employed only as a last resort.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, ASD Facebook Page
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