"Ted Davis" wrote in message

It's also illegal in many areas: it's considered animal cruelty for an
unapproved person to use an unapproved method to end the distress of a
suffering animal.

Of course it's illegal, probably always will be in North America, but that's
not the point as far as I'm concerned. When I put my dog down, it wouldn't
have mattered if there were 20 people there threatening to have me charged,
it was a matter of my own peace of mind. And if I'd had to pay some fine or
serve some type of incarceration, that wouldn't have mattered much either.
It was just a matter of my doing what I felt was needed to be done right
away.