The gas chamber that used to euthanize animals at the Rowan County Animal Shelter will now be used to save animals’ lives.
Lake Norman Animal Rescue of Mooresville picked up the gas chamber from a warehouse on Airport Road Thursday.
“That box will never hurt another animal again,” said Ron Lee, vice president of Lake Norman Animal Rescue.
The device will be used as a visual teaching tool and for fundraising purposes. Lake Norman Animal Rescue plans to take the gas chamber along as it gives talks on the importance of spaying and neutering.
“We really want to get the word out for how important it is,” Lee said. “There are basically no rules when it comes to breeding your dogs.”
“A lot of people don’t understand what the gas chamber is or what it really does,” he added. “It’s a horrible thing. There’s nothing good about it.”
Lake Norman Animal Rescue is still making plans for the gas chamber, but plans are already in the works for a “Bash the Box” event on Oct. 12 at Lucky Dog Bark and Brew. From 2 p.m. until 5 p.m., the group will hold a fundraiser, allowing attendees to shoot the chamber with paintballs or throw dye-colored water balloons at it for a fee.
“We’re not planning to use it once — we’re going to use it for quite some time,” he added.
Eventually the plan is to hold a final “Bash the Box” event, where people can hit the gas chamber with a sledgehammer for a fee.
After the box is completely destroyed, it will be recycled.
The money made will be split between buying cat vaccines for the Rowan County Animal Shelter and the Lake Norman Animal Rescue.
“That is why we don’t actually destroy the box,” Lee said.
“It’s a complete win-win for both,” he said. “The biggest winner is definitely the animals.”