Two women who adopted dogs debarked by former owners have joined together as advocates trying to ban the procedure after witnessing what it had done to their own pets.
Sue Perry and Karen Mahmud are asking for more signatures on their petition asking the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) to alter its position and stand firm against devocalization (otherwise known as debarking) surgery for dogs and cats. As of this writing, the petition has 134,957 signatures and is looking for 115,043 more.
Perry and Mahmud joined the Coalition to Protect and Rescue Pets, which helped ban the procedure in Massachusetts. Currently, Massachusetts is the only US state with a full and outright ban in place. In September of this year, Governor Brown of California signed a bill prohibiting landlords from forcing tenants to devocalize their pets. The petition to the AVMA represents the other part of a two pronged approach to stop the practice.
Those interested in adding their signatures can access the change.org Petitioning American Veterinary Medical Association, Tell Veterinarians: Devocalization is Mutilation! petition HERE.
In the video below, the petition organizers introduce viewers to their dogs, adopted after they’d had the procedure.
