Raleigh lawyer Calley Gerber has won a temporary restraining order against the Robeson Animal Shelter charging that the shelter causes pain, suffering and death in animals.  Gerber Animal Law Center filed a lawsuit against the shelter on Thursday.  ”It seems Robeson County Shelter officials are choosing to kill an animal when there is a cheaper, more humane alternative available in the form of a foster home,” says Gerber.

The shelter has a policy that mandates at least half of their kennels stay empty, in order to facilitate cleaning.  That policy, alleges the lawsuit, results in unjustifiable pain, suffering or death.  The temporary restraining order prohibits the shelter from killing any animals where a person is trying to pull, or adopt, them until a hearing on May 7th.

Professor William Reppy, Jr., Director of the Animal Law Project at Duke Law School says the argument is a sound one.  ”The theory of the lawsuit, that euthanizing dogs and cats results in unjustifiable death when the shelter has plenty of cage space in which to hold the animals but refuses to use it, is novel but also sound.”

“Robeson officials are trying to portray this issue as fringe animal rights activists making noise,” says Gerber.  ”But in reality, this is a mainstream humane treatment of animals issue.  These basic humane standards are required by state law.”

For more information on the lawsuit or to support the efforts, visit www.AnimalLawNC.com.