Yappers united! State bans debarking surgery

Video: Law bans surgery removing pet vocal chords

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2. Closed captioning of: Law bans surgery removing pet vocal chords

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   >>> imagine if your dog couldn't bark or if your cat couldn't meow. an operation out there that actually cuts animals' vocal cords. it's crew and animal rights groups say it's cruel. today the state of massachusetts will back them up. massachusetts is now going to be the first state to ban that surgery for nonmedical reasons. the law goes into effect today. joining me now, brian adams . he is the spokesperson the group that works to protects animals. brian, this is stunning to me. i can't imagine anyone would want to do something like this to their pet. why would they want to do that?

   >> it isst of the reasons people feel they can do this is that their pet is making too much noise and they want to correct an issue that is not medical to begin with. it's something the owner takes issue with and they want to correct that behavior in their pet and they're pilling to put them through a surgery to do that.

   >> is this common?

   >> it's not terribly common but it's something you see enough of and if an animal is put through something for nonmedical reasons, it better be very important and we're not going to back that up.

   >> right, i mean, certainly, dogs and cats bark for a reason, to communicate, right?

   >> exactly. a dog or a cat will make noise because they want to communicate with their owner. they are trying to tell you, i need to go outside, i need to go for a walk or there's danger around the corner ask they want to alert you. taking away an animal's voice is taking away human beings ability to communicate. animals only have so many ways to convey their intent. and just is completely unnecessary.

   >> brian, thanks so much.

   >> thank you.

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