I hope your neighbors did not de-bark their dogs.

I would never,in any situation, have that done to one of my dogs.
I can think of no medical reason for it. It's only for the convience
of the owner. Any dog that barks 24/7 has a problem. I cannot
believe a person could not find some way to treat the dog, or the
problem behavior some other way.People who de-bark their dogs
are not really solving the dog's problems, only their own.