This week, Cass County Animal Control Director Michael Grice announced that, by Jan. 1 of 2016 or sooner, his agency will no longer employ its carbon monoxide euthanasia machine for putting down animals housed at its shelter in Cassopolis.

In a decision the department head called “a longtime coming,” Grice said that, moving forward, county animal control officers will use only lethal injection to terminate animals. The agency already primarily uses this method of euthanasia, with it accounting for 75 percent of all cases last year.

The decision to retire the machine, which employs carbon monoxide gas to kill animals placed inside it, came despite the fact the machine still complied with standards set by the American Veterinary Medical Association. While the department has never received any complaints about the device’s use from people living in Cass County, mounting pressure from national humane organizations and other animal advocacy groups played a heavy factor in their decision to retire its use, Grice said.

From a public relations standpoint, the use of these so-called “gas chambers” appears to be a losing battle. With advocates pointing to videos that show animals being killed by the dozen with these machines, lawmakers, including those in Michigan, have turned a critical eye toward the practice.

While Grice said that these videos don’t reflect the way that his officers use their machine, at the end of the day, the efforts of the practice’s detractors have shaped the way that many perceive it.

We ultimately support the department’s decision to end this controversial practice — but we believe it’s simply treating a symptom, and not the root problem.

While the debate over what is the most humane way to put down animals is certainly worth having, ultimately, the goal of animal rights advocates and animal control officers should be to eliminate the need to euthanize animals all together.

We believe the core of this issue is overpopulation of domesticated animals in this country — and that is best addressed not by politicians or advocates, but by pet owners themselves.

According to stats from the U.S. Humane Society, an estimated 6 to 8 million animals are placed in shelters every year, with only around half finding a permanent home. With little room to spare for incoming animals, many of the remaining population face the risk of being euthanized.

If you ask any animal control officer, a vast majority dogs and cats they bring into their shelters every year aren’t the offspring of feral animals — they’re the children of family pets.

The sad fact is, many pet owners today fail to have their animals spayed or neutered. When their pet inevitably gives birth, many decide to take the litter to a shelter or abandon them all together.

While there will always be a need to put down dangerous or sick animals, ultimately, we can reduce the amount of animal deaths by simply being more responsible owners.

By having your pets spayed or neutered and taking on only the amount of animals you can handle, you can do your part to help solve this problem, in a way that pleases animal rights advocates, control officers and our furry companions.

 

Opinions expressed are those of the editorial board consisting of Publisher Michael Caldwell and editors Ambrosia Neldon, Craig Haupert, Ted Yoakum and Scott Novak.