Japan's pets are the most spoilt in the world. They wear clothes, eat in restaurants, bathe in spas. But what happens to the two percent that find themselves homeless? Re-homing is unheard of in Japan, where only the latest creation (often inbred) will do. The answer, revealed in this video, is to gas them, en masse.

According to Japanese director Motoharu Iida, who's visited several "animal facilities" in researching his documentary Dogs, Cats and Humans, between 310,000 and 350,000 abandoned pets "disappear" in these chambers every year - that's almost 1,000 per day (other reports coming out of Japan have quoted up to 1,200 per day).

The use of gas chambers for unwanted pets is not limited to Japan. Although in Europe gassing is considered inhumane and the standard method of dog destruction is lethal injection, in the United States for example, carbon monoxide poisoning is still one of the methods practiced.  

According to a 2008 report by the intergovernmental Terrestrial Animal Health Standards Commission, the use of gas is not recommended but "acceptable". Cited concerns include distress (convulsions, vocalization and agitation), anxiety, and severe pain. Other methods, comprising lethal injection, electrocution and shooting, are preferred.

http://observers.france24.com/en/content/20091015-pet-dogs-japan-love-them-leave-them-gas-chamber