Pennsylvania Bans the Use of Gas Chambers in Animal Euthanasia

On October 29th, Governor Tom Corbett (R) will sign into law HB2630 (otherwise known as Daniel’s Law) that will make Pennsylvania the 20th state in the country to ban the inhumane and cruel practice of animal euthanasia by gas chambers. Included in the bill is a requirement that all euthanasia injections be performed by a licensed veterinarian or by a certified veterinary technician under the supervision of a licensed vet.

The house bill was sponsored by Representative John Maher (R) and in the Senate by Senator Andrew Dinniman (D). According to Philly.com, the bill was pushed through within hours of the closing of the General Assembly 2011-2012 session, with concerns that the Governor wouldn’t sign any legislation involving new licensing fees.   

Referring to the five versions of the bill that were repeatedly tendered between the House and the Senate, Dinniman said, "This bill went back and forth more times than a dog lifts his leg in a day."

Dinniman named HB 2630 “Daniel’s Law” in honor of a Beagle named Daniel who, along with other dogs scheduled to be destroyed, was put in a Florence, Alabama gas chamber. When the gas chamber door was opened 17 minutes later, Daniel (who has since been nicknamed the "miracle dog") amazingly survived the ordeal, although the other dogs did not.

Daniel was indeed a very lucky dog. After he was discovered alive, he was sent to an animal rescue facility in New Jersey, where he was adopted into a forever loving home. He is considered by many folks to be the “poster dog” for banning the use of gas chambers in animal euthanasia. Alabama subsequently banned gas chambers.

This amazing “miracle” little Beagle has brought public awareness to the wretched truth that it can take as long as 30 minutes for a cat or dog to die in a gas chamber, making this process exceedingly cruel. However, when euthanasia is performed with an injection, cats and dogs lose consciousness within seconds. Death generally occurs in less than five minutes.

According to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), it is estimated that between six and eight million dogs and cats end up in shelters annually, with three to four million of them being euthanized. 

It is incomprehensible to this writer how this barbaric practice continues to be used in animal shelters throughout our country and that only 20 states have already passed a humane law banning it. In addition to the unnecessary cruelty that it causes to innocent animals, using gas chambers are far more expensive for shelters than the use of merciful injections.

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