Target: Jay Hottinger, Member of the Ohio Senate
Goal: Thank the Ohio Senate for passing a bill to end the barbaric practice of gassing dogs and cats in the state and encourage the House to vote in its favor.
Hundreds of thousands of dogs and cats are killed each year in overcrowded shelters across the United States. Among the many methods of euthanasia used to kill these innocent animals is gassing, in which tens of dogs and cats are forced into a small metal box filled with poisonous gasses. This form of euthanasia is extremely stressful for the animals, and employees report that they often cry out in pain and desperately try to escape. Although gassing has been banned in most states across the U.S., there are still a few states that permit the use of gas chambers in killing shelter pets. Now one of them, Ohio, seems poised to finally leave this barbaric practice behind.
In this previous ForceChange petition, people called for an ending to this unnecessarily torturous practice. And, now, the Ohio Senate has unanimously passed a bill–Senate Bill 164–prohibiting animal shelters from euthanizing dogs and cats with gas chambers. This bill would, in addition, increase the severity of penalties against anyone who causes serious physical harm or death to companion animals more generally.
Senate Bill 164 offers the promise of tremendous advancements to animal welfare rights throughout the state of Ohio. It is still in its early stages, and has yet to be voted on in the House. Sign this petition to thank members of the Ohio Senate for banning gas chambers and encourage the House to vote in favor of this bill.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Senator Hottinger,
The prevalence of gas chambers in animal shelters across some states of the U.S. is extremely unnerving. Tens of thousands of dogs and cats endure painful deaths, shoved into small, blood-stained metal boxes along with tens of others and forced to inhale poisonous gasses. These companion animals cry out and try desperately to escape, oftentimes breaking nails or bones in the process. It can take upwards of forty minutes subjected to the stress and pain of the gassing procedure before an animal even loses consciousness.
Luckily, there is hope. We at the ForceChange community want to thank you, Mr. Hottinger, and other members of the Ohio Senate for the active role you have taken toward ending this cruel practice throughout Ohio once and for all. Senate Bill 164–which prohibits the use of gas chambers by animal shelters, while simaltaneosuly enforcing stricter punishments for animal abusers–is an amazing step in the right direction and will save thousands of lives.
Thank you, again, for protecting our companion animals and beloved pets.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Nom d’util
Please VOTE TO END GAS CHAMBER EUTHANASIA NOW! It is unconscionable, barbaric and egregiously cruel and inhumane. These poor animals have known little kindness, and to end their lives in terror and agony is UNACCEPTABLE. We’re better than that as a society.
“Gas chamber euthanasia”? Healthy animals are not euthanized but killed and I am pretty sure that the 6 million Jews and so many other people would not say they were euthanized. Gas chambers should have gone out with the Holocaust. They were barbaric then and still are so today. It is not the fault of nonhuman beings that they are homeless and they are not disposable objects but are instead living and feeling beings.
GOOD NEWS — what would be even better is to NEVER AT ALL KILL healthy and treatable Animals — what kind of an Animal “shelter” KILLS?!