New Jersey laws makes debarking a crime

Whitehouse Station, N.J.-In the last four years, Dr. Karan Oberhansley's saved lives by clipping the vocal chords of nearly 150 dogs. Without the procedure, owners of incessant barkers likely would euthanize, she says.

Yet to protect police from silenced attack dogs guarding drug houses,New Jersey lawmakers became the country's first state to deem ventriculo-cordectomiesillegal. The bill, signed by Gov. James McGreevey late last year, bars DVMsfrom silencing any dog unless the surgery protects the animal's life orhealth.

In Oberhansley's practice, 90 percent of her debarked patients weighedless than 20 pounds.

"It's a ridiculous law. Except for an occasional Lab or a few Smoyeds,I don't debark large dogs," Oberhansley says. "I wouldn't createa stealth attack animal. I don't know any veterinarian who would."

Raising opposition

That's the argument of Rick Alampi, the New Jersey Veterinary MedicalAssociation's (NJVMA) executive director. While the organization testifiedagainst the bill's passage, Alampi says his protests went unheard.

As of this month, it's now a misdemeanor crime of the third degree forveterinarians to debark any animal.

"It doesn't make sense," Alampi says. "It's not likedrug dealers would even hire a vet to do this procedure anyway."

The root of discord

Contempt for devocalization stems from late 1990s Toledo, Ohio, when,according to Ohio Veterinary Medical Association Executive Director JackAdvent, Pit Bulls were raised as weapons. As a result, silenced dogs attackedpolice during a drug raid.

"Police didn't want to surgically silence dogs being used againstthem," Advent says.

Law enforcement's outcry led to the passage of breed-specific legislationoutlawing the debarking of Pit Bulls or any dog deemed vicious. Ohio veterinariansroutinely hand out waiver forms before silencing any animal, Advent adds.

"It essentially takes the veterinarian out of the issue," hesays. "The owner must testify that to the best of his knowledge, hisdog is not vicious."

Breed control

In other legislative news, New Jersey lawmakers soon could consider legislationto control the possession of Pit Bulls and Rottweilers, forcing owners tomeet stringent regulations that include fencing, public muzzling and obediencetraining for the dogs.

"It amounts to canine profiling, and we're going to fight it,"Alampi says. "Breed-specific legislation just isn't right."