Dog survives lethal injection, is nearly burned alive
The Associated Press
Salt Lake Tribune
OGDEN - A dog thought to be dead from a lethal injection started to wake up after being put into the crematorium at the Ogden Animal Shelter. Shelter officials immediately removed it from the oven and administered another injection to euthanize the animal, Animal Services Manager Bob Geier said.
Geier said the dog had received a euthanasia shot, and, in keeping with
standard procedure, staff members checked its reflexes before putting it into the crematorium last week. The dog had appeared dead.
Animals react differently to the euthanasia and sedation drugs, Geier said.
''I feel we did our due diligence,'' he said. Every shelter employee who euthanizes animals goes through an extensive training program, he said.
Geier said the animal was euthanized because it had a history of biting
people and had failed a temperament test. John Paul Fox, chief
investigator for the Humane Society of Utah, said some animals, especially ones that are very old or young, or have survived major injuries, can survive standard doses.
He said it is not common for animals to survive euthanasia, but it does
happen from time to time. Some animals can stop showing signs
of life for some time before coming back from deep unconsciousness.
Fox said animal handlers need to check a variety of life signs
to be sure the animal is dead, which is why there is so much training involved in the practice.
Fox said employees at the shelter plan to invite a doctor to conduct more training on euthanasia procedures.
The scary thing, of course, is that those persons responsible for euthanizing dogs and cats have more experience than those persons responsible for administering lethal injections to human beings.
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