The city of Warwick is one step closer to establishing an ordinance to ban dog debarking.
Some dog owners are having surgery done on their dogs' vocal cords to keep them quiet. After the operation, the dog can no longer bark.
The City Council has given first passage to a proposal to make it illegal. It needs second passage to become law.
The motivation for the ordinance comes in part from a statewide law that passed in Massachusetts. East Providence also has a similar ordinance.
While there are supporters for the ordinance, opponents say they don't think debarking surgeries happen enough to warrant a law.
"I don't know any veterinarians who have performed the procedure. Why legislate if we're not really performing the procedure at all?" said Dr. Jan Linden of the Providence River Animal Hospital in Providence. "I think if a veterinarian were performing the procedure, it would be for very unusual circumstances for extreme reasons."
City Council member Joseph Solomon said the proposed ordinance is preventive measure.
"We had a problem where a dog died before we enacted an ordinance. Do we wait until the wrong has been done before we put a law on the books to address the prevention of that wrong?" Solomon said.
The City Council will hear the proposal for a second time in March.
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