In Which Randolph Co Clings to its Gas Chamber

When HSUS gave Randolph Co, NC $3000 in December 2011 to send its gas chamber to the landfill, Randolph Co was all, “Yay, put that fat check straight into our bank account!”  Then they kept right on merrily stuffing dogs and cats into the gas chamber.  Of the 6705 dogs and cats who came through the Randolph Co pound’s front door in 2012, 5395 of them were killed by the staff.

Portion of the state's public animal shelter report for 2012 showing Randolph Co, NC
Portion of the state’s public animal shelter report for 2012 showing Randolph Co, NC

In 2013, Randolph Co pound staff continued gassing animals instead of doing their jobs (although the state hasn’t yet released the 2013 numbers). After 2 years of continued gassing with no end in sight, HSUS finally got up the nerve to ask the county to either stop putting animals into the gas chamber or give back the $3000. The county decided it would be less painful to part with the cash so that they could hang on to their beloved torture machine.

Kim Alboum, the NC director for HSUS, issued a statement in response which reads, in part:

It is shocking that a North Carolina county would return desperately needed funding for their animal shelter because they would rather continue a practice that has been denounced by every national humane organization. This does nothing but hurt the animals of Randolph County, for absolutely no reason.

It certainly is a head-scratcher.  Unless… maybe we didn’t bring the Randolph Co pet killers enough cupcakes?

For those not inclined to reward animal gassers with dessert, Fix NC has the info you need to take meaningful action.

(Thanks Clarice for the link.)

15 thoughts on “In Which Randolph Co Clings to its Gas Chamber

  1. This is a barbarick practice! And should be stoped. What are these people living in a third world county of NC. It amazes me how ignorant people are.
    What do they do with there unwanted children?

  2. Letter sent – this is unbelievable, simply unbelievable. Don’t tell me that someone doesn’t enjoy killing!

  3. Their adoption numbers SO bad. They can’t possibly be trying even the slightest bit. I am sure the few adoptions that did happen that year were people who found the place themselves and walked in ready to adopt. The fact that they would give up the money so they could continue to gas animals is pretty solid evidence that they just want to kill them all as fast as they can so they don’t have to put any effort into doing anything with the animals unfortunate enough to end up in this pet killing facility.

  4. Reminds me of Medina County. The Commissioners asked each and every shelter worker if they wanted to get rid of the gas chamber and every, single one of them said no, they want to keep it.

    Because killing in a gas chamber is EASY. You load it up with live animals like you load a dishwasher, you push the button and you walk away. Preferably to a part of the building where you can’t hear the yowls, cries, and scrabbling of the dying animals. Then you come back, unload the dead, and do it again. All so simple as long as you don’t have any kind of soul left…

    I swear, the question to shelter workers, “Do you want to keep using the gas chamber?” should be part of their psychological assessment. The ones who say yes need to go to some kind of mental rehabilitation clinic where they can get much needed care to help them function as human beings, again.

  5. Why did the HSUS wait two years? They certainly could have pushed to end the abuse and suffering a lot earlier – if they cared to. I do know that North Carolina is one of the biggest states for HSUS lobbying, puppy mill raids and animal seizures – and cozying up to law enforcement and legislators at all levels so that HSUS will be asked to ride to the rescue.

    The $3000 is meaningless in all of this. HSUS likes to throw a few thousand dollars at certain shelters so that if they get rid of a gas chamber or assist with an investigation, HSUS can claim full credit for the achievement.

    Confronting cruelty in a timely manner or, as HSUS’s own charter states, focusing on “the “immediate relief of suffering,” is what these animals deserve and animal lovers expect.

    1. The HSUS doesn’t often do something I agree with, but really. They did donate $3,000 to get rid of the gas chamber. And while two years is rather longer than they should have waited, they DID in the end insist that either the gas chamber be eliminated, or the money provided for that purpose be returned.

      What’s shameful here is that the county did return the money rather than give up the gas chamber.

      I’m no fan of HSUS, but they’re not the bad actors in this.

  6. Their live release percentage on chickens is really good though! Doesn’t that count for anything? {snark}

    1. Probably they take them home and, you know, eat them . . . that’s a win-win in their book. The numbers for live release looks good and it saves them a trip to the grocery store. (snark off)

  7. Please help me spread my message!
    I hope to someday see it be illegal to chain a dog. It is so cruel! With colder than normal temperatures this year, there is a lot of suffering going on because of this!
    Please share! Thank you!

    “Dog On a 10 Foot Chain” on You Tube
    http://youtu.be/SeQbZ3u_KPo

    Nothing to look forward to
    Watching cars go by all day
    Nothing to play with, nothing to do
    Shivering in the cold hard rain

    They forget to bring me water
    They forget that I am here
    They don’t know how smart I am
    They don’t even see my tears

    What did I do wrong, what did I do?
    I just want someone to love me, because I love you
    Whatever it is I did wrong, maybe I can change
    No one knows how hard it is, how hard it is to be………. a dog on a 10 foot chain

    Sometimes it’s hard to stay cool
    On a blazing hot summer day
    I dream of crossing the stream
    And catching a fish as sunlight fades

    It’s hard to stay warm in the winter
    Some nights it’s hard to be strong
    I dream of chasing butterflies
    And rabbits all day long

    Bridge:
    The world is big and beautiful
    But I’ll never see it all
    Maybe when I go to Heaven
    Someone will throw me a red ballPlease help me spread my message!
    I hope to someday see it be illegal to chain a dog. It is so cruel! With colder than normal temperatures this year, there is a lot of suffering going on because of this!
    Please share! Thank you!

    “Dog On a 10 Foot Chain” on You Tube
    http://youtu.be/SeQbZ3u_KPo

    Nothing to look forward to
    Watching cars go by all day
    Nothing to play with, nothing to do
    Shivering in the cold hard rain

    They forget to bring me water
    They forget that I am here
    They don’t know how smart I am
    They don’t even see my tears

    What did I do wrong, what did I do?
    I just want someone to love me, because I love you
    Whatever it is I did wrong, maybe I can change
    No one knows how hard it is, how hard it is to be………. a dog on a 10 foot chain

    Sometimes it’s hard to stay cool
    On a blazing hot summer day
    I dream of crossing the stream
    And catching a fish as sunlight fades

    It’s hard to stay warm in the winter
    Some nights it’s hard to be strong
    I dream of chasing butterflies
    And rabbits all day long

    Bridge:
    The world is big and beautiful
    But I’ll never see it all
    Maybe when I go to Heaven
    Someone will throw me a red ball

    1. You might want to check out CHAINED, a metro Detroit area organization that works to help chained dogs and their owners. They are amazing. Sometimes they convince owners to surrender the dogs, sometimes they convince owners to bring the dogs inside, but the very least they do is provide the dog with decent shelter, food, and love. They also do regular follow up visits. I could not do what they do – their goal is to provide a better life for those dogs who, through no fault of their own, must live on a chain.

      This song is a tear-jerker and I, too, wish there were no more chained dogs. We have a long way to go in our quest to treat all animals with kindness and respect.

      https://www.facebook.com/chainedinc2011

      1. Just chiming in here in support of us responsible chainers who do not leave their dogs on chains 24/7 but rather use it as a tool to keep their fence climbing dogs safe. My fence climber gets so excited to have her tether put on, she jumps and wiggles wildly while we’re trying to attach it. I agree that no dog should be forced to live her life on a chain but I do not support bans which eliminate the possibility of using chaining responsibly as a tool to keep dogs safe.

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