Michigan Ban on Animal Gassing Passes Committee
Update July 3, 2010: The Michigan House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture has approved H.B. 4263, a ban on the use of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide by anyone to kill dogs and other animals. The vote was 8-2.
Michigan State Rep. Rick Jones introduced H.B. 4263.
A simple bill but one that could stop suffering in a big way. 12 public shelters in Michigan still use gas chambers to kill homeless, sick, and injured animals and those deemed otherwise unadoptable.
The Committee on Agriculture exempted farms and farm animals from the measure. Also, the committee pushed the effective date back to January 1, 2012.
Go here to find Michigan state representatives and here for state senators including your own if you live in that state. Write or call and urge them to vote yes on H.B. 4263. Tell them gassing is a particularly cruel way to kill animals. It is also not safe for humans to be exposed to CO gas even at low levels. Using gas chambers is also more costly than euthanasia by injection.
While we work to reduce the numbers of homeless animals, they should at least not be terrorized in their last moments.
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Gas Chambers
The past dog warden of the Holmes County Dog Pound who worked there for 13 years gassing many animals, is now dealing with serious lung disease. One has to ponder if the repeated exposure to small amounts of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide that normally leaks from the gas chambers is the cause. I do wish him the best and a full recovery, but gas chambers need to be outlawed everywhere! They are cruel to the animals and unsafe to those who operate them.