I adopted Buddy from a neighbor who was getting a divorce.  He had spent the first three years of his life in a back yard neglected and left alone.  My husband would go over to him from time to time, giving him a treat, or just talking to and petting him.  He barked almost all the time.  When we got him we kept him in at night and left him outside when we were at work.  A neighbor complained about his barking to animal control.  When Buddy lived with my neighbor, he barked night and day and this other neighbor never said a word... but when we got him, we got a warning citation about keeping Buddy quiet.  So we had to keep him indoors while we were gone.  I have had him for 3 years now and he only barks when he sees a cat, another dog, or human walk by.  I still don't dare leave him outside when I am gone though.  Through it all I never considered having his vocal chords cut.  I think the complaining neighbor was afraid of Buddy's original owner and that is why he never complained before.  I believe he just hated the dog and when I adopted him he wanted him gone.  Buddy has become a dear friend.  It was difficult to get him to bond with me, and controlling the barking was a challenge, but he was worth it.  You can see Buddy if you look at latest images.  I submitted a picture of him last year. 

The first time that I heard of this was in the mid 1970's. It was my first visit at a neighbor's house and I made a casual comment about how quiet her dog was because it seemed a little unusual. Not a single bark and the dog had never seen me prior to this occasion. She answered, "Oh, we had her debarked." I don't remember what I said exactly because I was in shock that anyone would do that to their OWN pet.

This is the same as cutting a person's vocal chords.