HumaneWatch

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES SLINKS AWAY FROM OHIO IN FACE-SAVING MOVE

In a surprising move today, Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) CEO Wayne Pacelle appeared with Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and a vice president of the Ohio Farm Bureau to announce that his organization will not pursue its planned ballot initiative in November. The measure, aimed at Ohio’s livestock farmers, would have wrested control of livestock handling standards away from the Livestock Care Standards Board, which Ohio voters approved by a wide margin during the 2009 election.

According to the announcement made at today’s 4:30pm press conference, HSUS has agreed to abandon its effort to control how Ohio’s farmers raise animals. In exchange, Pacelle secured only a few weak promises from Governor Strickland concerning animal-welfare measures that had nothing to do with the reasons the group gave for coming into the Buckeye State; moreover, these concessions consist only of recommendations which will depend on the uncertain approval of Ohio’s legislature.

(UPDATED May 24, 2010)

HOW LONG HAVE WE WAITED?

What's this all about? Let me explain:

HumaneWatch has been watch-dogging the Humane Society of the United States for about 13 weeks now. Here's just a little bit of what we've learned:

• HSUS shares less than half of one percent of its budget with real "humane societies" and other hands-on pet shelters.
• Seventy-one percent of Americans believe HSUS is an umbrella group in charge of thousands of pet shelters, but that's completely untrue.
• HSUS consistently violates its own Articles of Incorporation by using its donors' money to lobby legislators and run a private school. (Its own founding documents forbid both activities.)
• The respected nonprofit charity rating service Charity Navigator has officially downgraded HSUS to a level lower than the crazies at PETA. And the charity watchdog American Institute of Philanthropy gives HSUS a "C-minus" overall rating.
• If you're in California and a telemarketer calls on behalf of HSUS, more than 88 percent of your donation will line the pockets of that professional dialing-for-dollars company.
• An Atlanta investigative news crew has reported that HSUS may have re-routed millions of "Hurricane Katrina" dollars into programs that its donors didn't know they were supporting.

Put this all together, and it's a story of fiscal mismanagement, financial misdirection, and duping the public.

But I believe everyone is redeemable, including HSUS. So here's the Pledge in a nutshell: As soon as HSUS CEO Wayne Pacelle commits to doing the right thing, I'm outta here.

You read that right. Hear me now, and believe me later, as Hans und Franz used to say. If the CEO of the Humane Society of the United States will make a commitment to start sending just 50 percent of HSUS's income to hands-on U.S. pet shelters, HumaneWatch will disappear for good.

We'll pull the plug. Yank the life-line. Cease and desist. Become an ex-blog.

That's the challenge. That's my pledge. And it's non-negotiable.

HumaneWatch and its high-profile advertising are clearly getting under Pacelle's skin. On May 17 we were in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. On May 18 it was Variety, the unofficial bible of Hollywood. And on May 19 there was a full-page HumaneWatch ad in HSUS's hometown paper, The Washington Post.

All the ads carry the same message: The Humane Society of the United States gives less than 1 percent of Americans' donations to underfunded pet shelters.

Less than one percent. Egad. That has to be embarrassing. If I have to put myself out of a job to turn it around, so be it. America's pet shelters will reap countless millions of dollars, and our minor ad expenditures will seem like the smartest investment since Microsoft was $1 a share.

Go ahead, Wayne. Make me obsolete. I dare you. Commit to being a real humane society, just half of the time. I'll fold up my laptop and bid HumaneWatch adieu.

Our press release about the 50% Pledge is after the jump.

This morning's issue of Variety, the unofficial bible of Hollywood, includes a full-page HumaneWatch ad. Why? Because there are over 100 U.S. celebrities who publicly embrace the Humane Society of the United States. And it's high time their agents and publicists became aware that there just might be a down-side in continuing that relationship. Just maybe.

HSUS has a full-time "Hollywood Office" (formerly called The Ark Trust) which is dedicated solely to collecting endorsements and cultivating star power. I think it will be fascinating to put my ear to the ground and see if anyone in Hollywood cares, for instance, that HSUS sends less than 1 percent of the public's donations to pet shelters while most Americans (remember them? they're the ones who buy movie tickets!) believe otherwise.

Of course, maybe they don't care. Celebrity endorsements of charities are often little more than an exercise in mutual back-scratching.

But I'm planting a HumaneWatch flag in Tinseltown nonetheless. Click here to see the ad. The press release that's hitting the entertainment world this morning is after the jump.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATIONWIDE POLL: SEVEN OUT OF TEN AMERICANS WRONGLY BELIEVE THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES IS A PET-SHELTER “UMBRELLA GROUP”

Consumer Group Reminds Americans that Less than One Percent of Donations to HSUS Benefit Local Pet Shelters

Washington, DC – Seventy-one percent of Americans questioned in a new opinion poll wrongly believe the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is an “umbrella group” for America’s local humane societies. Sixty-three percent incorrectly think their local “humane society” is affiliated with HSUS. And fifty-nine percent falsely believe HSUS “contributes most of its money” to local organizations that care for cats and dogs.

The poll, which sampled the opinions of 1,008 Americans, was commissioned by the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) and conducted by Opinion Research Corporation (ORC) of Princeton, New Jersey.

We're running a full-page advertisement in today's editions of The New York Times. Click on the graphic below to view a PDF of the ad. Our press release follows after the jump.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RACKETEERING LAWSUIT FINGERS HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES

Multi-Million Dollar Animal Rights Group Accused of Corruption; Lawsuit Available at www.HumaneWatch.org

Washington – In a landmark RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) lawsuit certain to have far-reaching implications for the animal rights movement, Feld Entertainment and the Ringling Brothers circus sued the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), its lawyers, and several other animal rights groups last week. The nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) unearthed the lawsuit in federal court records today. CCF is making the lawsuit available online at its newest website, www.HumaneWatch.org.

“America’s farmers, ranchers, hunters, fishermen, research scientists, fashion designers, and restaurateurs have seen for decades how the animal rights movement can behave like a mobbed-up racket,” said CCF Director of Research David Martosko. “But it’s still shocking to see the evidence laid out on paper. In a treble-damage lawsuit like this, a jury could actually do the humane thing and finally put HSUS out of business completely.”

In its February 16 lawsuit, Feld leveled bribery, fraud, obstruction of justice, and money laundering charges against HSUS and two of its corporate attorneys; three other animal rights groups; the Washington, DC law firm of Meyer Glitzenstein & Crystal; and all three of that firm’s named partners.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONSUMER GROUP: "GENESIS AWARD" CELEBRITY PRESENTERS SHOULD BOYCOTT HSUS

Teri Hatcher, Kristen Bell, Jon Lovitz are asked to step in, as 99.5 Percent of HSUS Budget Never Gets to Pet Shelters

Washington, D.C. - Today, the Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) is challenging fifteen celebrities to withdraw their planned participation in the 24th Annual Genesis Awards, presented by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). Although HSUS saturates cable TV with advertisements suggesting a pet-rescue-focused agenda, tax documents obtained by CCF tell a different story. HSUS's own IRS filings indicate that in 2008, it shared less than one-half of one percent of its budget with the hands-on dog and cat shelters that perform the thankless task of sheltering unwanted pets.

"Hollywood can do a lot better than cozying up to HSUS," said CCF Director of Research David Martosko. "Even the California Lottery shares 34 cents of every dollar with public schools. But to HSUS, dogs and cats in shelters are only worth half of a penny."