A controversy is brewing in Brown County as word spreads about euthanizing nearly 40 dogs. There was nothing illegal about putting the animals down, but animal rights groups are upset that other options werent explored before the dog warden killed the animals.

Local 12s Rich Jaffe has more.

In Brown County, like many rural communities, the dog warden has a tough job… too many animals, not enough space, and minimal funding. About two weeks ago, all those issues came crashing down on 37 dogs. The 37 dogs were confiscated from outside Ripley, on Scofield Road, February 10.

Animal welfare authorities have been here before. Dog Warden Andrew Dunn says they were underweight, and he believed many of the animals had a contagious skin condition called mange. When the dog warden got the animals to the Brown County shelter he used his legal discretion and decided to euthanize all of them in this homemade gas chamber, using carbon monoxide, rather than risk exposing the other animals in the shelter to the disease. Using carbon monoxide is not uncommon and if done correctly, perfectly legal in Ohio. Jack Scott ran the Brown County Humane Society for ten years.

Its a matter of money and you just dont have the money to take care of 37 dogs. You said they thought they had mange. Thats impossible because its a threat to the people working with them constantly because the humans will get the mange, its a constant struggle, and the money to treat mange, for that many dogs would be in the thousands of dollars.

Members of the Ohio SPCA and the local Humane Society are upset that the dog warden didnt try to find an alternative other than the gas chamber.

Jan Staubach, Humane Society Volunteer: There are resources to take care of them. For example, the Ohio SPCA has a van they can mobilize, come down and pick them up and make a judgement whether or not these dogs really are treatable, mange is not a death sentence…and that concerned me that we had made the offer and so had the Ohio SPCA.

I talked extensively with the dog warden, Andrew Dunn. He has spent the day driving to West Virginia to pick up a donated load of dog food. He told me that his decision came down to the fact that he didnt have space or budget to take care of 37 dogs, and he believed them to possibly be contagious. Hes also in the process of getting two people trained to use lethal injection rather than gas some time in the future.

The Brown County Commissioners tell us they thought the dog warden had quit using the gas chamber months ago. They were surprised to find it in use again and say theyve instructed Andrew Dunn not to use it in the future. They hope to contract out for a vet or trained technician to euthanize the animals in the future.

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