Pet euthanasia ad shocks animal rights groups

Animal rights advocates in Salt Lake County want to get to the bottom of an odd posting on Craigslist that offered to euthanize all animals at the poster's Federal Heights home, and either cremate the remains or turn their pets into rugs.

"That can't possibly be real," was the initial reaction from Utah Animal Adoption Center spokeswoman Temma Martin. "Who would have their pet made into a rug? I love my pets, but I never want them made in to a rug. What are you going to do? Go sit on your dog and watch TV?"

The person who posted the ad on Craigslist said he or she has a "military background" and is "very good at what I do."

"All work is carried out at my private home in Federal Heights," the ad stated. "I can promise your pet a quick and painless death. I have had experience with everything from cows and horses to dogs, snakes, parrots and even a few whole litters of unwanted kittens."

The ad offers a discount if more than one animal is brought to be euthanized. It also stated "it is better to take care of an animal quickly at a young age" rather than letting it go through a whole life.

"Ask about my posed taxidermy and throw-rug options for the serious pet lover who can't let go!" the ad exclaims.

Anne Davis, executive director of the Animal Advocacy Alliance of Utah, is outraged by the posting.

"It's really, really bizarre. It's cavalier and disturbing," she said. "It was horrifying to find that (posting). It's really disturbing on so many levels. If you don't want to let them go, just stuff them and make a rug out of them? Catering to a money issue ... what in the hell is that all about?"

Davis flagged the Craigslist posting and had it removed. She also has filed a legal complaint and was in the process Thursday of obtaining a subpoena to find out the name and contact information of the person who made the posting.

No name or address was listed on the post, only an e-mail address set up through Craigslist. The Deseret News attempted to e-mail the poster on Thursday but got an automatic reply that said the e-mail address was invalid.

Both Davis and Martin say the only humane way to euthanize a pet is with an injection of drugs that are highly controlled and illegal to possess without a special license.

Martin said she believes there are still laws in Utah that allow shooting pets if it is done quickly and in one shot so the animal does not suffer. However, she said she thought it only applied to the pet owner's own animal. A person cannot legally euthanize someone else's pet, she said.

Furthermore, there would also be issues of firing a gun in city limits, which is illegal.

"At the end of your pet's life, I would much rather it to be where you know it's going to be humane (euthanasia). I have a hard time believing that person is for real. I guess I want to have higher faith in humanity. That's not an area where you want to find the most discounted services. You don't want to find someone giving a deal on euthanasia. That's not the way to respect your pet. It's creepy," Martin said.

If someone has unwanted kittens or puppies, both Davis and Martin said it's best to give them to an established shelter to have them adopted.

---

E-mail: preavy@desnews.com