Humane destruction sought

Debate pits injection against gas chamber

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CORRECTION

A front-page story Saturday about euthanasia of dogs and cats included incorrect information about Chatham County. Its Animal Control Department made a transition from carbon monoxide to lethal injection last year. The shelter now uses lethal injection on more than half of the animals it euthanizes.

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In a way, the little brown mutt with the floppy ears sealed her own fate.

The once-friendly pet's temperament changed after she gave birth to pups. She bit her owner one too many times.

So he took her to the Franklin County Animal Shelter, where she was euthanized in a 5-by-4-foot cinder block box pumped full of carbon monoxide.

Franklin's is one of dozens of North Carolina shelters that still use gas chambers to kill unwanted dogs and cats. The practice is falling out of favor nationally, and some animal activists are lobbying the state to stop it.

A new state law puts the state Department of Agriculture in charge of inspecting animal shelters, as well as creating standards for euthanizing animals.

"Everybody in the humane movement is hoping the agriculture department will say, 'You have to use lethal injection,' " said Bill Reppy Jr., a Duke University professor who does pro bono work prosecuting illegal euthanasia cases.

Some counties are responding. In December, Franklin commissioners passed animal-control reforms that will include switching to lethal injection, probably within a year. Other counties, including Johnston and Chatham, are considering a change.

Whether animals succumb to a shot in the leg or a stream of lethal gas might seem an irrelevant point.

But to animal-welfare activists, the gas chamber is an abominable source of suffering.

"It's a pet holocaust," said Melissa Kipp, whose prolific e-mail messages against the practice have prompted gas chamber opponents from as far away as the Netherlands to contact officials in Johnston and Franklin counties.

Between 4 million and 5 million dogs and cats are killed every year in shelters nationwide, according to estimates by the Humane Society of the United States.

North Carolina's rate -- 26 dogs and cats killed per thousand people in 2004 -- is well above the national average of 18 dogs and cats killed per thousand people. In 2004, 220,000 cats and dogs were killed in state shelters.

No one tracks how many shelters in the state use gas. But activists say slightly more than half of the counties do. In the Triangle, only Johnston, Franklin and Chatham use gas for most animals.

At least 13 states, mostly in the Northeast and on the West Coast, have outlawed the use of gas chambers for dogs and cats, or mandated the use of lethal injection.

The Humane Society and the American Veterinary Medical Association endorse both methods but prefer injections. Other animal groups, including the American Humane Association and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, oppose using gas.

Both methods are painless to animals, but gas is slower and more prone to misuse.

An injection stops the brain from sending signals to the body. It renders an animal unconscious in less than 20 seconds and dead within a minute.

The carbon monoxide used in chambers seeps into the blood, forcing out oxygen. Most animals die within five minutes. But the 30 to 60 seconds before they lose consciousness vexes animal lovers.

Even in the best chambers, dogs and cats scratch at their cages, or bark and howl for up to a minute. They are not in pain, vets say, but are agitated about being in a dark, enclosed space.

Many North Carolina chambers are not up to veterinary standards, causing more trauma to animals.