Sunday Times 2
Singaporeans go barking mad over bid to silence dogs
View(s):SINGAPORE (Reuters) – A suggestion by Singapore’s public housing authority that owners of noisy dogs consider “debarking” their pets to avoid
The Housing and Development Board of Singapore suggests that barking dogs should be silenced by lopping off part of their vocal cords (Reuters)
inconveniencing neighbours has raised animal lovers’ hackles in the city-state and prompted much ridicule on social media.
The authority, the Housing and Development Board (HDB), recommended in a notice posted in a residential block that one option for dogs that will not keep quiet is to “debark” them.
Debarking involves removing a section of a dog’s vocal cord to reduce the volume of its bark and is recommended as a solution of “last resort” to control noisy pets, according to the website of Singapore’s Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority.
Animal welfare groups say the practice is cruel and unfair.
In a statement the HDB apologised for causing anxiety to dog owners and said it had taken down the notice.