Bill approved to ban gassing of pets
May 7th, 2008 Posted in Pet PicturesIllinois House members voted Wednesday to ban the gassing of pets at animal shelters, with one lawmaker calling the practice disgusting.
The use of gas to put down pets has been criticized by animal rights activists as an imprecise measure. Sometimes it takes up to a half-hour for the animals to die, and Pets sometimes they emerge alive but with brain damage.
“Cats and dogs are still put down in a less than humane manner,” said state Rep. John Fritchey, D-Chicago, who sponsored the bill.
In 2003, a dog named Quentin was put into a gas chamber in St. Louis with seven other unwanted dogs. But to the surprise of the shelter workers, the Basenji-mix survived the toxic fumes and was found sitting atop the pile of Pets dead dogs, wagging his tail.
The city of St. Louis now bans gas chambers, as do most communities in the St. Louis metro area. A shelter in Mount Vernon, Ill., has one of the few remaining gas chambers.
Fritchey said gas could still be allowed as a last resort, for example, if an animal is violent. However, in most cases, lethal injection would be used.
The bill faced no opposition from other representatives, and several rose in support of the Pets legislation.
“What’s been happening with the animals is really a disgusting practice,” said state Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie.
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Tags: activists, amp, animal rights activists, animal shelter, animal shelters, animals, basenji, basenji mix, brain damage, cats, cats and dogs, dead dogs, dogs, gas chamber, gas chambers, humane manner, john fritchey, last resort, lawmaker, lethal injection, lou lang, louis metro area, metro, Pet, pets, skokie, st louis metro, state rep, toxic fumes, unwanted dogs
