Thank you to Georgia Representative Tom Knox, who pushed HB788 through the Georgia legislature in 2010, and canine hero, Amazing Grace, who survived the gas chamber at the now defunct Liberty County Animal Control Center in 2006 and went on to become dog celeb lobbying against this barbaric practice. Because of them, from now on animals will no longer be euthanized in this excruciating, painful, prolonged, and inhumane way.
Louisiana, on the other hand, is not so humane in its treatment of animals in shelters. The gas chamber is still used regularly there, and now the animal rescue community will focus its efforts to eliminate it.
Read a quote from an article about Georgia's use of the chamber:
“Euthanasia” is a gross misnomer for the killing of pets as a means of population control. It is doubly unacceptable to use the term to describe a method in which animals can experience prolonged and extreme distress. Rabbi and Macon City Councilman Larry Schlesinger witnessed the gassing of seventeen dogs and was instrumental in the dismantlement of the Macon chamber. He wrote of the experience:
"The sounds of shrilled panic and desperation that I heard through the gas chamber's thick cinderblock walls clearly indicated to me that those canines were quite alert and conscious that something terribly out of the ordinary was happening to them. Their chorus of 'squealings' continues to haunt me, and as a result, I am thoroughly convinced that there is nothing at all 'humane' about this practice."
In the meantime, look here to see efforts being made to end the chambers use in Louisiana. Note there is a video towards the end of this link that shows the actual use of it, and it's very hard to watch. If you've ever wondered what this is all about, take a look.
