Lobbying for the New York State Devocalization Bill is Playing with Fire...

A proposed devocalization ban is now before the New York State Senate. Please do NOT ask your Senator to pass it (yet)!

New York lawmakers have repeatedly advised Animal Advocates of Western New York and Coalition to Protect and Rescue Pets that:

The Senate will NOT step on the toes of the veterinary lobby, which is particularly strong in New York and is fighting to keep devocalization legal. Last year's experience with this legislation supports that.

If Senators are pushed to pass the devocalization ban, they may feel their hands are tied and do that.

But lawmakers warn they will ONLY pass it if amendments are added. Appeasing the veterinary lobby means these amendments will ALLOW and LEGITIMIZE DEVOCALIZATION, which would cause even more dogs and cats to have their vocal cords cut.

Once that happens, there's no turning back. Bad laws are worse than no law. And they never become good laws.

LEARN ABOUT LOOPHOLE AMENDMENTS THAT HURT ANIMALS

Loopholes are rarely obvious. And they can be added to a bill any time before it's signed into law – often during the final vote on the floor.


►CLICK HERE to learn about sneaky loophole amendments that turn devocalization bans into laws that sanction this cruelty.

HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW

Because caring people consider devocalization a shameful practice, individuals who have animals devocalized and the vets they pay to perform it have kept it in the shadows. They pretend it's not happening or trivialize the great damage cutting even a little vocal cord tissue causes.

Here's how you can fight back to protect animals' vocal cords and lives:

• Educate the public by sharing pages and videos from this website (with attribution to Coalition to Protect and Rescue Pets), and posts from the United Against Devocalization Facebook page.
• Bring your vet or vet tech or vet nurse on board by having him or her submit this online form. Even without legislation, it's important for vets to take this unequivocal stand against elective voice-altering surgery:

SMART LOBBYING 101

If you're serious about protecting animals, lobby with your eyes wide open. You must know exactly what you're supporting every step of the way – or you shouldn't support it. Even trusted animal organizations can get it wrong.

• Always read the bill you're being asked to support directly from the legislature's Web site. Animal advocacy organizations can get it wrong. Have your lawmaker or his/her staff explain it if you don't understand it. That's part of their job!
• Read the bill AGAIN before lawmakers vote on it, in committees and on the floor, to make sure sneaky language that hurts animals, including these loopholes, hasn't been added.
• Then, read it ONE LAST TIME before it goes to the governor. If loopholes were added, urge the governor to veto it.

This takes a little more time than reading an action alert. But it's the ONLY way you can be sure you're lobbying for – not against – animals.

• And They Call this "Bark Softening"?
• Devocalized: Kandi's Story
• Meet Duke: Needed More Surgery to Survive "Bark Softening"
• Jaxon's Story: Abandoned and Unable to Bark for Help
• More Videos of Some of the Victims