Judge Orders Three Dogs' Vocal Cords Removed

[RebelOne]

This judge should be charged with animal cruelty.

Judge Orders Three Dogs' Vocal Cords Removed
Tuesday March 29, 2005 11:44pm   Reporter: Michelle Rupp   Posted By: Amanda Manatt

Sherwood - A Judge has ordered Jason Clearman of Sherwood dog's vocal cords be removed to stop the barking that is allegedly disrupting his neighbor. This story may be hard for animal lovers to hear.  As a solution to barking, rather than a bark collar, Judge Butch Hale has ordered three dogs to have their vocal chords removed.

There is a feedback section at end of story.

http://www.katv.com/news/stories/0305/216934.html

[ET Awful]

1. WTF?

What the fuck is this guy thinking? Sorry, but there's no way I'd follow such an order. I'd immediately appeal and have the appels court judge issue a stay in the case.

Ridiculous.

[China_cat]

2. Bad as that is

it's better than the alternative. The judge could have ordered the dogs destroyed.

Please don't consider this as approval for this order...it's not.

[Warpy]

6. A better solution might be to have the owner

keep those dogs confined indoors during the complainant's sleep time.

I worked 12 hour night shifts and I was plagued by a neighbor's dog. It was a pomeranian, and it didn't bark so much as SHRIEK. There was no way I could sleep through that thing, and it shrieked constantly while the neighbor was at work and it was left in a fenced yard. She refused to confine the dog inside during the day because it got bored and chewed things. I guess having a critical care nurse make mistakes from exhaustion was less important than her furniture!

It's the only time I've ever had to complain about an animal.

The focus has to be kept on any pet OWNER unless the pet has proven to be vicious and has attacked people. It's usually the dog (or cat) OWNER who needs the behavior modification as much or more than the animal in question.

My two cats are indoor cats, as much for their safety as for a decrease in annoyance to neighbors.

[RebelOne]

3. This story has just hit the national news.

I just saw it on CNN. Boy, animal lovers, animal rescue groups and animal rights groups are going to jump onto this. I hope they crucify this judge.

[Maru Kitteh]

4. Hopefully this is an elected judge and someone will make sure

his robe is removed. This is one good reason why it's so important to be involved in your local politics, so cave dwelling swill like this don't sit on a bench in your community.

[RebelOne]

5. UPDATE!!

Judge Orders Three Dogs' Vocal Cords Removed

Sherwood, AR (AP) - An update to a story we first reported Tuesday
night... a judge has stayed his order that a Sherwood dog owner remove
his pets' vocal cords.

Judge Butch Hale had ordered the removal by March 31 as a solution to
neighbors' complaints that the dogs' barking was disruptive. The owner,
Jason Clearman, tells us Wednesday that the Sherwood city attorney
informed him today that the judge has changed his mind for now.


Susan A. Trear
Legal Assistant to
Andrew P. Bernstein
Stephanie A. Mixon
Courtney C. Nelson
JACKSON, DEMARCO & PECKENPAUGH
2030 Main Street, Suite 1200
Irvine, CA 92614
Dir: 949.851.7466
Fax: [phone]
email: [e-mail]

[Phentex]

7. That's just sick. We know a family who did this to their dog...

and the poor thing still barked afterwards but sounded horrible. (More like a seal than a dog.) I kept wondering why the hell they even HAD a dog. They left it outside all the time! :(

[Coventina]

8. I'm reserving judgement on this case because I haven't heard all the facts

I have my own horror story about barking dogs/ bad pet owners:

When I was in college I lived with my great-aunt. Next door was an old alcoholic woman who had two pretty large dogs. She would pass out drunk inside the house and the two dogs would bark ALL NIGHT LONG. This happened almost EVERY NIGHT.

The police refused to handle it. There had to be at least two neighbors to complain before the city government would get involved. Because of how the houses were built in our neighborhood we got all the noise, none of the other neighbors wanted to get involved. We were STUCK.

I moved out and got my own apartment because seriously, I was going to harm those dogs. I also considered "dog-napping" them and taking them in for that surgery at my own expense. We were desperate and sleep deprived.

I love animals. But when it's 3am and you've been listening to non-stop barking since 10pm and you have to get up in a few more hours, well.....Let's just say we all have a dark side.

My aunt eventually sold the house and moved into a retirement home.
I hope Mrs. Hoy (the alcoholic) passed out with a cigarette and burned herself up.....but I don't know what ended up happening to her.

On edit: Sometimes also the dogs would get loose and then she'd stumble up and down the street screaming their names at the top of her lungs. I always hoped that either she or they would get hit by a car. I know it sounds terrible, but it happened EVERY NIGHT. You go a little crazy from lack of sleep after awhile.