Ohio Revised Code 959.06 PAINLESS DESTRUCTION OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS states: "No person shall destroy any domestic animal by any method other than a method that immediately and painlessly renders the domestic animal initially unconscious and subsequently dead."

Animals at the Athens County Dog Shelter are being subjected to painful deaths by means of asphyxiation with carbon monoxide gas. This method is slow and painful as well as distressing. The humane alternative, euthanasia by injection of sodium pentobarbital, is a quick and painless method of euthanasia.

Athens County Animal Advocates (ACAA), a group of concerned citizens, hereby calls for:
1. A county-wide ban on euthanasia of shelter animals by any means of gassing, including but not limited to: carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, argon, or any hybrid thereof;
2. The adoption of humane euthanasia by injection (EBI) of sodium pentobarbital as the ONLY allowable method of euthanasia of shelter animals. EBI must be administered by a licensed veterinarian;
3. The immediate dismantling of the current Carbon Monoxide Gas Chamber at the Athens County Dog Shelter;
4. A Citizens' Oversight Committee to supervise this disassembly and provide on-going accountability and transparency of the shelter's operations.

Please join with us and give a voice to defenseless animals. They need us now more than ever.