DEATH WITHOUT DIGNITY: THE MISNOMER OF EUTHANASIA IN THE STATE ANIMAL SHELTER SYSTEM AND A CALL FOR A NO-KILL FLORIDA

摘要

In 2011, a video surfaced that would shock and horrify animal lovers across the nation. The clip depicts thirty-two year old Beau Anderson (a state certified animal euthanasia specialist) wrapping a leash around the neck of a conscious dog to hold the same in an upright position standing on two legs, and systematically jamming a hypodermic needle filled with poison into the chest of the animal as it cries. Anderson missed his target (the heart of the struggling animal) three times before finally landing the killing blow. He was then shown dragging the dead dog by the neck to a pile of other victims and discarding the body as one would a dirty rag.Unfortunately, this scene is all too common in the animal shelter arena in which millions of homeless animals are put to death in some of the most inhumane ways imaginable. This article addresses the process of shelter animal "euthanasia", the impropriety of the same, and serves as a call to action for Florida legislators to implement the processes necessary to make Florida a No-Kill state.