Kudos to you HumaneWatch.  HSUS certainly needs watching.

It’s sad that this group exists.  Sad that they think they need to oversee another group, primarily, but also sad that they’re investing resources in bashing a charity, rather than providing shelter for animals.

Maybe someone can look into how the Humane Society gets away with all of the political contributions they make as well as paying for lobbyists who want to take away peoples rights to own animals. The Humane Society is a non profit organization and they are not supposed to be politically involved as a condition of nonprofit status. PETA is also doing the same thing and getting away with it. The public needs to know these things.

brd-thats-me—how HSUS does it (being involved in political campaigns) is by having a separate organization that’s a 501(c)4—donations to the (c)4 aren’t tax deductible, has separate activities, with few exceptions, HSUS staff don’t work on the c4 activities. I know this because I looked into it when I was thinking of making donations. perfectly legal and acceptable. Also, people keep asserting that HSUS wants to take away peoples’ right to own animals. that’s such nonsense, especially with regard to pets. Most everyone who works there has pets. do you really think hundreds of people are in collusion to do away with their own pets?

Jack, how much do you make at HSUS?
No, seriously. If you take the time to read how HSUS expends its efforts and its money, you’ll see how wrong you are. Read up on the Wilkes County massacre, where HSUS representatives used lies and misrepresentations to convince a judge to order the murder of 146 dogs, including nursing puppies, which had been seized in a dogfighting bust. Humane? Not much.

nowayne, et al,

I work in the non-profit sector, but not for HSUS.  I don’t even donate to HSUS (I donate to NHES - National Humane Education Society).  I definitely don’t have a dog in this fight.

I’m simply pointing out that it’s ridiculous that someone has taken the time and effort to bash a charity (except to get published).

Charity watchdogs are nothing more than a necessary evil.  And the necessary evil known as Charity Navigator (the most prominent watchdog) tells a different story: 

If you want to donate to local shelters, donate to local shelters.  The HSUS works on a higher level.

-jack

Dogmom, the question is what the LEADERSHIP is trying to accomplish. HSUS has been roving the country pushing legislation which will strangle ethical breeding, make it economically unfeasible for lower-income families to own any sort of pet, and drastically increase the rate of shelter killings, among other things. Consider the fact that HSUS is now marketing a Vegan dog food - WTF? They’ve been co-opted by the PETA set, and Wayne Pacelle has been quoted saying he personally doesn’t care whether another dog or cat is ever born. So while I don’t necessarily think every single HSUS employee and/or volunteer is on board with the mission, like the public, many have just had the wool pulled over their eyes. But yes, I do believe that is where the HSUS’s current board and officers are directing the organization.

BTW, 501(c)(4) on paper. But watch the Atlanta video. It is admitted that most of what the main ORGANIZATION has been doing is lobbying.

People supporting HSUS actually are either animal rights, or are misled. Anytime groups try and force their views by misrepresentation, it indicates they cannot gain the advantage by truth telling. After being turned into the IRS again, HSUS revamped their entire website.

Now it looks like a shelter site with donation and support us signs. Same ole’ tired story of how they save animals when in fact they wrote the book (Euthanasia Training Manual) published in 2003 on how to kill every species of animal.

Of course HSUS would like to eliminate pets as *property*—-that is why they are attempting 24/7 to get the animals on an equivalent basis with children. Child abuse, animal abuse. child porn, animal abuse. selling an animal, animal abuse. “abuse” is used from every possible angle to try/pigeonhole animals as kids. Tax write off (copying child exemption)  Guardianship (copying guardianship law)  Pet Trusts (copying family/trust law) ad nauseam….

If animals were then deemed non-property in the law commercially, imagine what you COULDN’T do with any animals? No selling, buying, owning. Certainly no animal husbandry or animal products would be allowed.  According to the AR case law book, Third Edition, the result would be either (1) all sterilized, (2) extinction or (3) sanctuary.
Clearly that means ELIMINATION of animals. I hope this is clear, as most people don’t seem to believe it.

NoWayne, the Wilkes County incident, which was heartbreaking, is still in line with what happens in many shelters and dog wardens across the country. With rare exception, such as the intervening in the Vick dog case, most fighting dogs are euthanized because they are considered too dangerous and unpredictable. This policy is well in place in most local shelters. Where I live, the dog warden euthanizes all pit bulls that come in, and the local humane society will not adopt pits out, except to qualified pit bull rescues. So, even while people are complaining that the HSUS is not helping shelters, you criticize them for doing something that would have been done as a matter of policy in almost any other shelter in the US? Also, you’re criticizing that at least these dogs died humanely as opposed to getting their throats ripped out in a fight, but aren’t you at least grateful that groups such as the HSUS exist to bust these dogfighting rings?

And C Cardazo, let me give you a refresher on what 99% of animal welfare activists consider abuse: starving, beating, cruel confinement (i.e. not being able to stand up or turn around) being left exposed to the elements (i.e. someone chaining their dog to a tree and leaving them there 24/7), setting on fire (that happened in my home town recently), gluing a kitten to an expressway (that happened in Minnesota), stealing from a yard and beheading (that happened in San Antonio), giving them several bowls of beer then beating their heads in when they pee on the floor (that happened in Iowa), dogfighting, cockfighting, and yes, some practices in the animal agriculture industry, such as veal crates or extreme overcrowding. Are you telling me that you don’t think that animals deserve legal protection from these acts, and that people who perpetuate them shouldn’t be punished? Sure, people exist who think that animals shouldn’t be exploited in anyway, but you can’t tell me you honestly believe that somehow this handful of people is going to somehow impose an animal-less world on the other 99.999999% of us.

Oh, and let’s also keep in mind that many people who have gone on to be mass murderers and serial killers began their violence by mutilating and torturing animals, so taking these acts seriously and delivering punishment and/or rehabilitation could prevent escalated acts in the future. So again, there’s more to protecting animals than simply running shelters.

nowayne—there is a difference between supporting political candidates (which is what the c4 does) and lobbying for legislation (which is legal for a c3 to do—just proscribed by limits so that anyone at a c3 who is doing lobbying has to fill out a time sheet so they stay within the legal limits). Re: the dog food—there are lots of others on the market. why is one coming from a humane organization so much worse in your view than the others? Also, if you look at the faqs (I did) you’ll see they very clearly say to check with your vet before feeding it, that no food is right for every dog. Why is it worse than the crap from China that killed dogs? I probably won’t feed it to my dogs because it’s taken me a long time to find one food that all of them will eat, but if someone wants to, the vet says ok, the dog does well on it, what’s the harm? I can’t speak to what you’re attributing to Wayne, though I know for a fact many things attributed to him are taken out of context or misrepresented (the famous one about ‘no more domestic animals’ is used to say he’s against pets—he was talking about some specialty breeds of cattle and it was in a response to a specific question about those.)

ccardozo—HSUS has the top rating from Charity Navigtor, BBB, and was rated in the top whatever by Worth Magazine. That wouldn’t happen if they’d been “turned in” to the IRS. The website changed, sure. but changing how a website looks or operates is hardly an indictment of anything but the old website. they always had donation options on the home page and other pages (what smart non-profit doesn’t ask for donations???) And re: the euthanasia manual—I used to work for a shelter. the manual doesn’t say TO KILL animals, it just tells how to do it most humanely. AVMA has one too—does that mean AVMA is against pets? I also have to tell you that last year in my local park, a cop came to shoot a deer that had been hit by a car, and used info from HSUS on how to do a clean kill after he’d shot the thing 3 times without killing it. So knowing how to dispatch an animal without pain is a good thing. And I believe you’re wrong about HSUS trying to change the legal definition of animals vis a vis property. can you cite something supporting that? tks

I’m sorry but anyone who believes they are not trying to have pets outlawed has yet to have their pet on the chopping block as of yet. They already want reptiles , birds, small mammals banned. Cat and dog owners are their main contributors but don’t think for a second your pets have immunity. Once they are able to take away what they consider easier targets you will be next but right now your donations are used to take away others rights. If they were not bedfellows with PETA and following their example I might not have a problem with them, but years from now when your specific dog or cat breed are made illegal don’t say you were not warned.

Dogman… is their “honesty and integrity”  why the HSUS is being pursued on racketeering charges now because they are so wonderful and honest. Give me a break… you have obviously been drinking their brand of kool aid for far too long. Why not try having an open mind instead of believing every little bit they say and regarding everything else as propaganda.

Laughing at the thought of attempting to change anyone’s beliefs…...its a free country. But animal rights’ goal is to make animals non property, that’s why every step they keep taking is to make animals into kids legally. a la Ingrid’s proposition. (ant-boy-dog, whatever) Each time animal rights pushes legislation, it considers the 12 Steps of Animal Rights. I assume you know what those are. And it therein states, that animals should be eliminated, breeding should be eliminated. It is in the animal law casebook. Go buy it and read it. If HSUS really wanted to be truthful, they could just admit they have same goals as PETA. But they don’t admit. Instead they use misrepresentation and subterfuge. Let’s face it, you like HSUS, that’s up to you. After all, some people like Obama, some people like Satanism. But let’s not pretend that a non profit public-fleecing group should be making laws.

Cardozo, lets not make this about politics. This is about the reality of what HSUS does vs. its public image. And the shills they have sent here to defend them aren’t going to acknowledge things like the fact that they ran fundraising ads for the Vick dogs while arguing they should be killed, that they ran fundraising ads for animals in New Orleans and collected huge amounts of money, which was not used for animals in New Orleans until calls for an investigation; the numerous times they have brought in the cameras for the photo shoot after a raid so they could run more fundraising ads, then left the locals to care for the animals without any financial or other assistance; the recent Faye/Fay scandal, where they raised funds for a dog they weren’t helping at all, until after the lie was exposed; and the recent Haiti fundraiser, where they collected money and then announced that their assistance wasn’t needed there.  Perhaps the Charity Navigator doesn’t consider this kind of conduct, or perhaps it isn’t aware of it; or perhaps it is like the “Who’s Who” books where you pay to be listed.  I don’t care how many books they are praised in, their CONDUCT speaks for itself.

Just go to activist cash, click on HSUS and you’ll see where theie money goes.
Charity NAV is like white bread investigating.
Where does the money go?
Not to animal welfare!
With a little creativity you’ll see the 2008 Income tax Return of HSUS.
That might make you cry.

http://www.naiaonline.org
Now there’s a non profit to be proud of.

Anne said this: “Why not try having an open mind instead of believing every little bit they say and regarding everything else as propaganda.”

If you all can step back for a second from your emotions, you can see that the same thing can be said about all of you. Your minds are made up and you’re unwilling or unable to consider that maybe, just maybe, what you’ve been told or you’ve read might not be right. Not being critical—just pointing out the reality. And some of you see plots behind every rock. Like Mountain Dog Girl’s comment about the 2008 income tax return of HSUS. Did you know that HSUS puts its 990s on their website? If they had something to hide, why would they do that? Mcdowelli76—in the spirit of Anne’s call to keep an open mind, I’ll ask you. Can you point me to anything that proves what you say about HSUS wanting to do away with pets, ban small mammals, etc.? tks

Just ask anyone from the Avicultural Society of America what mr. Pacelle plans for those who keep birds. Their web site is http://www.asabirds.com . Or USARK , the United States Association of Reptile Keepers website and find the same thing. You can also read “the hidden enemy” by Kathy Love to learn more about when it went from helping animal to becoming largely a lobbying machine. Don’t get me wrong, they have done some good but lately the wrongdoings have out weighed the good from the past. After hurricane Katrina it was not until they were facing a huge lawsuit for collecting funds for animals displaced that they built a new shelter to get out of it. 100 million annually and it takes a lawsuit to get them to make good on their promise.

HSUS taps into the emotions of consumers to convince them that animals are being mistreated.  They use made up information and refuse to look at proven research.  It is hard to know what info is accurate sometimes and who you should believe.  I have been involved in production animal agriculture my entire life and I know they are full of BS.  I encourage people to get the facts first hand, talk to farmers about how and why things are done on modern farms.  The goal of these animal activist groups is total veganism.  I dont care if they promise to build more shelters or not, these groups need to be eliminated!

Actually the goal of animal rights groups is to fill their pockets. I am not saying that HSUS has become this yet, but they have been taking lessons from PETA on fund raising and appropriation. Think about it, if goals that were reasonable were met than their donations would slow to a trickle. By making damands that can never be met they insure a never ending flow of cash by misinformed donors. Like I said HSUS has not become PETAs twin, yet. I keep Boas and Pythons which from a insurance stand point meaning deaths or injuries to humans or non prey animals are 30x safer than dogs. Not 130% but 3000% safer. I am not againsts dogs or cats at all , but when owning my pets may be considered a felony act in the near future what is to say other types of pets will not be next. If you give them an inch they will take a mile and before you know it your out door dog or cat could be considered injurious to wildlife and be banned.

Excellent!!  I worked for the local Humane Society in Winston-Salem, NC for a while and the main reason I left was the exact point that your ad points out.  We were sending out donation requests and “poor mouthing” while we had hundreds of thousands of dollars in the bank.  I felt it was very deceitful to the public and still do!

Keep up the great work!!

Share with them a copy of your newsletter to read and invite them to advertise to your select group. Chances are the local shops will be your best bet but you may get an insurance company or a real estate firm to run an ad especially if they have homes for sale near your plant. Brentwood news

Almost one year ago I learned of a puppy mill in my neighborhood. The first place I went to for help was the local shelter. I was advised to contact the Missouri State Humane Society. I was surprised to learn that the Humane Society, and this starts at the top with HSUS, has nothing to do with shutting down puppy mills or rescuing abused or neglected animals of any kind. The commercial from HSUS with its president pleading for money I feel is misleading at best. By showing footage of animals that have been abused or neglected pulls at the heart strings and is a good tactic to pull at the purse strings of the public. If you do choose to give money to HSUS please do your research first.

Make no mistake about it—HSUS has been infiltrated by radical animal rights activists, and its agenda has changed from an organization devoted to ensuring animals receive proper care and treatment, to an organization that seeks to separate humans and animals for good.

Think this is paranoid?  You haven’t been paying close attention. They want what PETA wants, because some of their higher ups come from PETA. They are also smart enough to pick and choose their battles.

They start with the animals that have the fewest advocates, such as reptiles. They make suggestions that sound reasonable, such as mandatory spay/neuter programs. They play on people’s anthropomorphism (ending battery cages for chickens, when chickens are better off in them than groups in large numbers). Bit by bit, they seek to dismantle the pet trade and the egg, milk, and meat trades, which they see as exploitative.

Every time we give an inch, you’d better believe they’ll take a mile. We are FOR the humane care for animals. But we are NOT for giving up our pets and livestock because these people don’t approve of their species, or their breed, or using them for meat, or selling their offspring.

Jack, Jack - Please!!!

It’s not sad that an organization like this (HumanWatch) exists, but sad that it HAS TO exist, and has to, it does. I’m not sad that it exists; I’m glad. It’s absolutely appalling that an organization like HSUS is even concerned about pensions. I have dedicated a large portion of my life to animal welfare, making great sacrifices in so doing. I’m currently caring for over fifty cats, five dogs, twenty raccoons, a marsh rabbit, and a a squirrel. It takes a lot of time and money. I have no pension, no money saved up, etc. And it’s not because I lack ability. I assure you that my IQ and abilities are higher than those of any HSUS execs (and I’m willing to back up that statement).

Whether you believe that Jesus was an actual or fictional being, you’ve got to admire the example the Bible records him as setting. He was pursuing a noble cause, and he gave up virtually everything for it. As recorded in one Bible passage, he said that foxes have dens and birds have nests, but that he didn’t even have anywhere to lay his head down. And it wasn’t due to lack of ability; it was due to willing, loving sacrifice.

People at the tops of organizations like HSUS need to set examples like that. They need to show that they’re willing to really sacrifice and give of themselves if they want others to do likewise.

I found this article because I was searching for another article that reveals that one former HSUS exec receives a $600,000.00 per year retirement payment. I will never give another cent to HSUS, and I regret what I’ve already given. I realize that all I did was contribute to some fatcat’s retirement plan, and all the while I don’t have one. That disgusts me.