Banning Gas Chambers: A Fight You Can Help Us Win

NOTE: The term 'euthanasia' is from the Greek meaning  "good death"  Gassing an animal with carbon monoxide is not a  "good death" a heart stick  is not a "good death"  so in my opinion these shelters have no right to use the term 'euthanasia'.  Any shelter who uses a gas chamber or  heart stick are simply killing  an unloved, unwanted animal without mercy, without compassion. What you will hear in the video below is not a: "good death".

Stop Gassing

Stop Gassing!

American Humane believes that euthanizing shelter animals by carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide is inhumane to the animal and harmful to humans. American Humane considers euthanasia by injection (EBI) to be the only acceptable and humane means of euthanasia for all shelter animals.

(this Video is from YouTube. The video that was originally with this blog could not be embibbed here)

Most shelter workers wish to hold and comfort a frightened animal in its final moments of life. That act may be the only kindness the animal has ever known. In contrast, even with vigilant oversight, euthanizing any animal by means of a carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide gas chamber is inhumane to all animals, especially medium and large dogs, and is demoralizing to the shelter workers. Such outdated and cruel practices also create a public outcry and demean the very purpose of an animal shelter. Download American Humane’s fact sheet comparing the gas chamber to EBI.

A Michigan gas chamber.

It is a national tragedy that 3 to 4 million shelter animals must be euthanized every year. Until a solution is reached, the final moments for these animals must be humane. That’s why American Humane is a leader in training animal welfare professionals on proper EBI techniques.

Banning Gas Chambers: A Fight You Can Help Us Win

Currently, only nine states have officially banned all forms of gassing for all types of animals in shelters: Delaware, Illinois, Maine, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia and Wyoming. Starting in 2009, American Humane launched an intensive legislative initiative to ban gas chambers in animal shelters and will continue in this work until the gassing ends.
To help our efforts, American Humane recently commissioned a study comparing the cost of EBI and gas chambers that proves EBI is less costly to communities. Using data from an animal sheltering organization, the study shows that the cost to use carbon monoxide poisoning is $4.98 per animal. The cost to use EBI, however, is only $2.29 per animal. Download a copy of the EBI cost study.

What Can You Do?

If you live in a state that still allows gas chamber euthanasia, you can do the following:

• Contact your local shelter to determine its euthanasia practice. If the shelter uses gas, politely ask the shelter director and your county commissioners to transition to EBI.
• Start a petition to send to your county commissioners, calling for your local shelter to transition to EBI.
• Involve the local media to drum up additional community support for a transition.
• Talk to one of American Humane’s EBI trainers to gain a better understanding of the technique and the training that is available to euthanasia technicians. Contact training@americanhumane.org.
• Share American Humane’s resources with the shelter, and let shelter management know that American Humane is available as a resource in transitioning to EBI.
• Contact your state legislators -- particularly if you are in a county that uses the gas chamber -- and gauge their interest in sponsoring a gas chamber ban bill. Contact American Humane’s Office of Public Policy at publicpolicy@americanhumane.org if you need assistance.

April 2010: Stay tuned for an updated action alert to send to Michigan legislators.