Humane Euthanasia in Chatham County

I have dedicated my life to helping homeless animals in our community, most of which I pick up from our local animal control. Because I had always only seen things from my brief trips in to evaluate animals or bring them home, I may have had some narrow-minded thinking about how things should be done. However, after having worked the last six weeks part time as an actual shelter worker, a lot of my thinking has changed.

There is a strong movement against gas chambers in Georgia, I think quite a bit of the storm comes from people who have yet to witness the process first-hand. While I agree no one wants to think of animals having to be gassed, I think there is a gross misunderstanding of the actual process used at our animal control. I cannot vouch for the process elsewhere, but from what I witnessed during my time at animal control, and actually being a part of the process, I believe our euthanasia process is more humane than most give credit.

The process seems to be a rather simple one: tranquilize the animal, put it in the cage, place it in the chamber, turn it on, and walk out. But that is just the physical part. Everyone who works at the shelter cares for animals. We spend five days or longer getting to know them, trying to talk people into adoption, holding them, giving them medicines when needed. But when their time is up, we are the last kindness they get to know. I watched as one by one, each animal succumbed to the tranquilizer. They did not know we were picking up their bodies, they didn't know that we were placing them with others, they did not know they weren't coming back.

I have only witnessed one lethal injection in my time, and it wasn't quick, and it didn't seem to be as painless. The animal was aware something was going on, and struggled to get free from me as I held on, trying to offer comfort. It was a medical need to act humanely. But having to hold the animal so close as the life drained, drained me just as well. I could not imagine trying to use this process on some of the animals at the shelter, the ones that take two to three people to get off a truck and into a pen safely, others that are foaming at the mouth, bite cases.

I don't think there is an all or nothing humane solution in euthanasia. So instead, why not focus on prevention? How about a low-cost spay/neuter clinic, free spay days, or more microchip clinics to keep pets out of the shelter in the first place? If all we do is focus on the end, we do not solve the problem that brings the pets there in the first place.

I understand that my position counters those who are working around me. It may very well lead to my being ostrasized within our local animal welfare community. But I've never been one to give in easy to group-think and hope my position will open up others to alternative ideas.