BarbV
Forums Celebrity
With this background in mind I recall the first time I went to the aol Sheltie breed forum and saw a thread 'Debarking?' I thought, oh, this is going to be painful to read - they are going to rip her so badly. After all, Shelties are so much the most 'human' of breeds, (somehow the thought of debarking beagles has less emotional baggage - its unfair, but a reality,) and Sheltie owners tend to be, shall we say, more attached than most, and by 'most' I basically mean 'all'.
So I see all these replies of ' Sure, i debark all of mine at a young age, no big deal.' And I'm thinking 'What the hell???'
I'm not taking a stand here pro or con (I'm new here and not looking for trouble) but I am very surprised that what seems very controversial is so matter of factly accepted in this breed, more than almost every other, (I can't recall running across it on other boards,) as just something you do, without more strident objection. indeed, it seems like proponents are more in 'attack mode' than opponents. - Dr. Mac
Dr. Mac,
Thanks for weighing in. Your vet opinion is greatly appreciated.
I think most Sheltie owners would normally be on the page of "Sheltie's bark, get over it!" If you don't want a barking dog, then don't get a Sheltie. It would similar to "my Sheltie sheds too much". Get over that especially.
However, reality is some neighbourhoods are so severely restricted with barking ordinances that you probably couldn't have ANY dog, never mind a smiling, barking Sheltie, without debarking.
It would not be my first choice, but I would do it, if I had to. Indy actually is debarked (he came to me that way). Not that you can tell - I can't imagine what he would sound like if he WASN'T debarked.
Like Chris said, I tend to view it as similar to spay/neuter. If you must, you must. My understanding is that it is not a particularly painful procedure, and its hardly like they are muted altogether. As she says, responsible dog ownership means being a good citizen and neighbour. And sometimes, you need to manage that breeding instinct - Shelties are not easily trained from barking.