Utah bans the use of gas chambers to kill shelter dogs and cats but I’m told by Nathan Winograd that in the USA there are two states were gassing unwanted rescue cats and dogs at shelters remains legal. They are Wyoming and Missouri. Just two more states to go before gassing shelter cats and dogs is ended. See base of page for an earlier statistic.
After nine years of trying and failing, the Utah Legislature finally passed a bill which was signed by the governor.
Nathan Winograd paints a disturbingly bleak picture of what happens when cats and dogs are gassed in these ghastly chambers at “shelters”. Hardly shelters!
Winograd says that when the chamber is filled with poisonous carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide the animals as expected gasp for breath. There is searing pain from their lungs. The animals inside the chamber often claw at the chamber door or throw themselves against the sides in a desperate attempt to escape.
Sometimes fights between the animals break out within the chamber. They defecate and urinate on themselves and each other. They suffer convulsions and then lose consciousness and brain function after the organs shutdown. This can take as long as 30 minutes. Plenty of time to cause intense suffering before they die.
Comment: it is shocking when you think about it that it took 9 years of debate for the politicians of Utah to end that kind of wanton infliction of pain on shelter animals. What was there to discuss? Who voted against it during those nine years of debate? Perhaps the reason why gas chambers existed at shelters was because they’re cheaper to run. Not true apparently.
When you devalue a shelter animal’s life to zero and if you don’t have the sensitivity within you to understand that cats and dogs are sentient beings, and can feel pain and if you’re more concerned with money than doing the decent thing then you can vote for gas chambers which apparently is what happened for a very long time.
The bill was signed off on 17 March 2023 as I understand it by governor Spencer Cox. The Humane Society of the United States tells me that there are just three “known and active gas chambers” used against companion animals throughout the country.
Gas chambers were once considered to be a humane way to euthanise cats and dogs at shelters. Although of course the word “euthanasia” is chronically misused by shelters as we all know as it is a euphemism for killing.
Gas chambers also endanger shelter staff. Including accidental gas inhalation. They’ve been condemned by the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association and the National Animal Care and Control Association and of course nearly every other animal welfare organisation.
The Humane Society tells me that gas chambers are more expensive than the more humane alternative namely euthanasia by injection. The society spent nine years working on legislation to eliminate Utah’s gas chamber.
The lawmakers of Missouri which has one active gas chamber are considering legislation to ban it with a bill currently on the books to be debated. At the moment Wyoming does not have an “animal champion” to sponsor a similar bill for the Wyoming legislature. I guess the Humane Society is pushing for their bill to be introduced. Disappointing that there’s nobody in the Wyoming government to introduce this bill as it is common sense that it should be introduced.
4 gas chambers remain in America to kill shelter animals (Sept 2021)
You know. Humans value humans much more highly than animals and stray animals are valued somewhere near the bottom of the ‘animal value chart’. Killing them anyway you want even if it is cruel was acceptable to many for a long time.
How can a gas chamber be considered inhumane for humans but ok for other animals? Those people who used them will answer for their atrocities come Judgement Day along side those who torture animals for fun and/or in the name of science.