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SALT LAKE CITY — Sherrie Nofrey spent years training police dogs with her husband. The Orem resident now stays busy rescuing animals and, occasionally, lobbying for their rights.
Nofrey was one of about 30 citizens who went to Capitol Hill Thursday to lobby lawmakers to support two bills — HB187, which would prohibit animal gas chamber euthanasia, and a forthcoming bill that would define appropriate shelters for dogs.
Deanne Shepherd, the Humane Society communications director, said it organized Humane Lobby Day to help Utahns share their passion for the issue with legislators.
"It's like a daunting, intimidating experience for these people because it's their first time. They didn't know you could just come up and go talk to (the legislators) and they'd listen to you. … We're trying to help get them past that and just help them to learn that it's an easy process and hopefully next year they come up on their own, too," Shepherd said.
Linda Gregersen of Murray participated in Humane Lobby Day for the second time. Gregersen has both a dog-walking and pet-sitting business.
"I feel really strongly about animal rights. It's kind of my thing," she said. "I think getting involved and feeling like you're doing something is a good experience."
Gregersen met with Rep. Marie Poulson, D-Cottonwood Heights, who voiced support for the euthanasia bill on Wednesday in a House committee meeting.
"Frankly, I've really lost my stomach for this type of behavior. I think that if there's a better way, a more humane way, whether the animal is a wild animal or a domestic animal, we ought to prefer to use that way," Poulson said.
Nofrey said she's "against euthanasia, period," except in the case of an animal who has been injured beyond repair.
Nofrey says the bill that would ban euthanasia is just one of the many reforms she feels animal shelters need.
"As far as I'm concerned, it's a small step," she said, listing a few changes, such as veterinarians who perform an analysis of injured dogs pro bono, requiring pictures be taken of dogs that have been euthanized or found dead so that people don't spend years looking for their pets, and conducting home assessments of potential dog adoptees.
The second bill the group discussed with lawmakers is forthcoming from Senate Minority Leader Gene Davis, D-Salt Lake City.
The bill would define appropriate shelter for a dog so that proper treatment of animals could be enforced, Shepherd said. Currently, nothing can be done when animal control is called because an animal is being exposed to extreme temperatures or weather.
The group expects the bill to be released next week. Email: elarson@deseretnews.com
