Help Stop Gas Chamber Plans For Utah Shelter!

Our good friends over at ThoughtsFurPaws.com have brought a horrible story to our attention.  We cannot believe how barbaric this shelter in Utah is.  They are in the mist of building a gas chamber to euthanize pets!  In our opinion that is unbelievably cruel & consider it to be plain old barbaric.  Even though we are very opposed to Kill shelters, there is such a more human way of doing it.

We urge you to please take a moment and write a letter to this shelter and voice your opinion.  Even if it's just a sentence or two, which can take a minute or less, that would be a huge help.  We are in the mist of writing a very detailed letter as well as Jaimie at Thought Fur Paws, so if you wish to copy and paste either one, please just e-mail either of us.  I am attaching part of the original post below and to view the entire post please click Here.

A ThoughtsFurPaws reader sent me an email yesterday and I think the topic is worth bringing up here. When I saw the subject line my heart sank. It said: “West Valley City, Utah-Animal Shelter Gas Chamber.” Although I don’t live in Utah or anywhere near where this is occuring, I nonetheless would like to draw attention to this matter.

The reader writes, “I was unaware that the West Valley City Animal Shelter was going to have a gas chamber in their new facility to kill innocent animals. I am completely appalled about it and I think that you should be too. Animals are living and breathing just like you and me. I wouldn’t want someone to do that to me or any other living thing. It’s one thing to euthanize an animal with a shot. It’s another thing to put live animals in a chamber, close the door and turn on the gas and KILL THEM. Who would think of such a cruel way to kill an animal? Why would the Mayor allow this to happen? This is MURDER! This is CRUEL! This is WRONG! Please help do something about it before it’s too late and they take the lives of innocent animals.”

I must say that I agree with this reader. Although her statements are harsh and a little brutal, they are true. It IS cruel and it IS like murder. I shudder at the thought…

A further note in the email is from another concerned citizen reaching out to animal advocates. She says:

You may be aware that the new West Valley City Animal Shelter, currently under construction, will have a gas chamber for euthanasia. This is not a quick, painless or humane death for our animals that society has discarded.

Over 2,400 dogs and cats are euthanized at just this one shelter in a year. The Humane Society of the United States, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the American Humane Association, and the National Animal Control Association have all determined injection of sodium pentobarbital is the most humane, safest, least stressful and most professional means of euthanasia. Lethal injection is slightly less expensive than carbon monoxide gas chambers and does not entail the inherent human health hazards of the gas.

*We urge you to email, write or call all the elected officials in West Valley City and Taylorsville to register your objections to the installation of the euthanasia gas chamber at the new West Valley City Animal Shelter as soon as possible. Timing is critical. Once the gas lines are installed it will be too late for them to reconsider.

Contact information is listed at the bottom of this email. Your personalized message will be even more powerful. Please be respectful in your communications.

*The following dates are for council meetings at West Valley City and Taylorsville. Please mark these on your calendars and plan to attend. If you are a citizen of West Valley City or Taylorsville, we would appreciate you making a brief statement at the meetings. Please contact me for “talking points” or additional information.

*West Valley City – November 18 – 6:30 pm – City Council Chambers, West Valley City Hall, 3600 Constitution Boulevard, West Valley City. 801-963-3203

For more information, please contact Marylin Segall at 801-949-5991.

*Taylorsville – November 19 – 6:30 pm – 2600 West Taylorsville Boulevard, Taylorsville. 801-963-5400

Thank you all so much and God Bless.

Big thanks go out to Jaimie at Thoughtfurpaws.com for originally posting this horrific shelters plan and for bringing it to our attention.

Comments

[Darrin & Josy]

Thank you so much for contacting them RH.

It seems we all got the same canned response from Mr. Kelly Davis. I read the AVMA's 39 page document several times and it states that the most painless, stress free, fastest acting, most humane and best method of euthanasia, for pets, is by lethal injection.

His statement "The study concluded the process is humane, quick and painless. " Is false and missing lots of important findings and horrific complications, that happen frequently.

We are staying on top of this and will keep you updated on our progress.

Thanks again and God Bless.

Darrin & Josy

[ResilientHeart]

This is the response I received from my message to the Mayor:

Thank you for your concern. May I refer you to our city web page, www.wvc-ut.gov/animal, and click on the tab AVMA euthanasia study. I believe this will help further your information regarding the use of carbon monoxide. The study concluded the process is humane, quick and painless.

Kelly Davis
Operations Director, Animal Services
West Valley City
4063 South 7200 West
West Valley City, UT. 84044
(801) 963-3364 Office
(801) 252-7541 FAX
kdavis@wvc-ut.gov

[Darrin & Josy]

Thank you all so much for all your efforts thus far.
We have just received a sugar coated e-mail from the Mayor of Taylorsville.
He states that "I am also told CO euthanasia will only be used in instances
where handling an animal would pose a safety hazard for the handlers"
First of all, the shelter did state any of that in their original plans and also,
the shelter has not stated that to anyone else.
Secondly, there are no accounts of staff in that facility ever being injured by
an animal during their 2,500 murders each and every year.
That they are trying to use that as an excuse, is totally unacceptable!

Now for his other bs excuse "It does clarify this
acceptance based on the equipment being properly installed and the
technicians being properly trained in the use of the equipment"

First of all it is a known fact that this method of euthenazation causes much more pain and also takes much longer to kill.
One simple mistake or lack of training will cause these poor animals to suffer much longer then necessary and in in some case, death will not even occur. The HSUS states "Carbon monoxide (CO) is not an acceptable method of euthanasia where sodium pentobarbital can be legally obtained by shelters" which it is legally obtainable by this shelter. The HSUS also states the following;
"Old, sick, or injured animals may have poor blood pressure or weak hearts, which may delay the effects of CO, causing them to experience distress prior to unconsciousness. Animals under the age of four months may not have the lung capacity to inhale enough CO to be effective. In pregnant animals, it is likely that the mother will die from exposure to CO before the unborn puppies/kittens. Consequently, it is possible that the puppies/kittens will die as a result of the mother’s death (by suffocating to death) rather than from exposure to CO. The HSUS condemns using CO for animals meeting the above criteria."
Wouldn't sick animals be considered dangerous animals?!
There are also many risks to the staff for using this barbaric treatment.
"Human Health Risks Posed by CO

Staff must be fully notified of the potential health risks involved with using CO. Carbon monoxide is a hazardous substance: it is highly toxic and has no odor, no color, and no taste. It is one of the leading causes of accidental poisoning in the United States and repeated exposure to CO, even at low levels, can result in long-term effects, including (but not limited to) impaired memory, breathing difficulties, muscle weakness, heart irregularity, and brain damage. Exposure among pregnant women can cause low birth weight in their infants. The use of a CO chamber should be closely monitored and in compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements. Again, CO should be considered only for agencies unable to legally obtain sodium pentobarbital.

The HSUS is working to change the laws to allow all animal care and control agencies to legally obtain sodium pentobarbital (see Direct Licensing Laws for Euthanasia in Animal Shelters). Alert your government officials that the use of CO by animal care and control agencies is being phased out across the nation and replaced with the more humane method of sodium pentobarbital injection. Every effort must be made to ensure the safety of shelter workers and to provide a painless and rapid humane euthanasia for animals."

Here is the bs letter that we just received.
Josy and Darrin,
Thank you for your e-mail expressing concerns regarding CO euthanasia at
the new West Valley Animal Shelter. I have acquired a report from the
American Veterinary Medical Association from June of 2007 that lists CO
euthanasia as an "acceptable" form of euthanasia. It does clarify this
acceptance based on the equipment being properly installed and the
technicians being properly trained in the use of the equipment. The
report is available online at the website of the AMVA if you are
interested. I am also told CO euthanasia will only be used in instances
where handling an animal would pose a safety hazard for the handlers. We
are continuing to look into the best means of dealing with unwanted
animals but hopefully we can all work towards adoption as a means to
minimize the need for euthanasia. Thanks again for caring enough to
write. Feel free to contact me on this or any other issue.

Russ Wall
Mayor

The City of Taylorsville * www.taylorsvilleut.gov
2600 West Taylorsville Blvd. Taylorsville, Utah 84118
Office: (801) 963-5400 * Fax: (801) 963-7891
E-mail: rwall@taylorsvilleut.gov

Please e-mail him back any section of the above comment or article from HSUS.
Thank you all so much and God Bless.
Josy & Darrin

[Darrin & Josy]

Jeffrey & Glenda, we totally agree with you both. We are outraged about this and won't stop until they destroy that facility. It's so inhumane and barbaric.

Thank you both so much for your concern and e-mailing them. We contacted PETA and will let you know what we hear from them.

Thank you so much again and God Bless.

[Jeffrey L. New]

I can't believe anyone could be so dame crule. It is not a human that came up with killing in a gas chamber. This is insain and inhumane.

[Glenda]

What is wrong with these people!!!!!!!!
I hope they get the gas chamber!
Will e-mail them now