---
type: "Bill"
title: "Dogs; devocalization, prohibited, exception, penalty."
description: "Devocalization of dogs prohibited. Makes it unlawful for any person engaged in the practice of veterinary medicine to perform a surgical devocalization procedure on a dog, except when such procedure is necessary to treat or relieve any injury, disease, or congenital defect that is causing or may cause the dog physical pain or harm."
jurisdiction: "us/states/va"
legislature: "Virginia General Assembly"
session: "2026"
identifier: "SB 707"
citation: "Virginia SB 707 (2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["J.D. \"Danny\" Diggs"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 35
vote_count: 7
first_action: "2026-01-14"
last_action: "2026-04-13"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/d0a3d062-3f40-4077-b4be-fcb23e1c33bc"
source_url: "https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB707"
source_hash: "7eba1ee231c824f6ffa1a3dcb6b50837eff32a21bf8c6ae651bb9ce282a8fe72"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-va"]
---

# Virginia SB 707 (2026) — Dogs; devocalization, prohibited, exception, penalty.

Devocalization of dogs prohibited. Makes it unlawful for any person engaged in the practice of veterinary medicine to perform a surgical devocalization procedure on a dog, except when such procedure is necessary to treat or relieve any injury, disease, or congenital defect that is causing or may cause the dog physical pain or harm.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1092098.PDF)
2. **Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1115996.PDF)
3. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1191352.PDF)

## Votes

- Passage R — **38–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Finance and Appropriations — **15–0** (pass) · upper
- Constitutional reading dispensed (on 3rd reading) — **38–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources — **19–3** (pass) · lower
- H VOTE: — **89–10** (pass) · lower
- Constitutional reading dispensed R — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Reported from Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources with substitute — **14–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- J.D. "Danny" Diggs — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2026-01-14** Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26105207D `filing, introduction`
- **2026-01-14** Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-21** Fiscal Impact statement From VCSC (1/21/2026 10:26 am)
- **2026-01-23** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB707)
- **2026-01-28** Senate subcommittee offered
- **2026-02-03** Assigned HACNR sub: Companion Animals `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-03** Senate subcommittee offered
- **2026-02-03** Reported from Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources with substitute and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (14-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2026-02-04** Committee substitute printed 26105721D-S1 `substitution`
- **2026-02-09** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB707)
- **2026-02-11** Reported from Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N) `committee-passage`
- **2026-02-12** Rules suspended
- **2026-02-12** Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
- **2026-02-12** Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
- **2026-02-13** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2026-02-13** Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Substitute agreed to
- **2026-02-13** Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute Block Vote (Voice Vote) `substitution`
- **2026-02-13** Rules suspended
- **2026-02-13** Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 3rd reading) (38-Y 0-N 0-A)
- **2026-02-13** Read third time and passed Senate Block Vote (38-Y 0-N 0-A) `passage, reading-3`
- **2026-02-24** Placed on Calendar
- **2026-02-24** Read first time `reading-1`
- **2026-02-24** Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-25** Reported from Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources (19-Y 3-N) `committee-passage`
- **2026-02-27** Read second time `reading-2`
- **2026-03-02** Read third time `reading-3`
- **2026-03-02** Passed House (89-Y 10-N 0-A) `passage`
- **2026-03-05** Enrolled `enrolled`
- **2026-03-05** Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB707ER) `passage`
- **2026-03-05** Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (SB707)
- **2026-03-05** Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2026-03-05** Signed by President `passage`
- **2026-03-10** Enrolled Bill communicated to Governor on March 10, 2026 `enrolled, executive-receipt`
- **2026-03-10** Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 13, 2026 `executive-receipt`
- **2026-04-13** Approved by Governor-Chapter 829 (effective 7/1/2026) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/d0a3d062-3f40-4077-b4be-fcb23e1c33bc`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Virginia legislature records).