An Oregon court ruled Wednesday that a family’s dogs must have their vocal cords removed after neighbors sued for noise complaints.
The Oregon Court of Appeals ordered that Karen Szewc and John Updegraff take their dogs to veterinarian to undergo the controversial medical procedure called “debarking,” essentially just a removal of a dog’s vocal cords, The Washington Post reported. This procedure is currently outlawed in six states, including Massachusetts, Maryland and New Jersey.
The Keirns, neighbors of Szewc and Updegradd, claimed that their issues with the dogs started in 2002, when they allegedly barked incessantly starting at 5 a.m., causing an incredibly disruptive atmosphere that often kept visitors away. The Keirns brought the matter to court in 2012.
A judge ordered that Szewc and Updegraff pay a $238,000 fine to the Kreins in 2015, however, that did not deter the disruptions.
Once the dogs undergo the debarking procedure, their main form of communication will be silenced.
“We are just shocked,” David Lytle, a spokesman for the Oregon Humane Society, told The Oregonian.
“The dogs are my employees,” Szewc said. “We do not have the dogs to harass the neighbors. We have the dogs to protect our sheep.”
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