A few observations on HumaneWatch’s second “month-i-versary”
Tomorrow this blog will be two months old. Like most infants, it's had its cool "Ooooh!" moments. (For instance, HumaneWatch just hit 20,000 fans on Facebook!) There have also been moments when we wondered "Why did we decide to do this again?" (We'll spare you the details.) But all in all, the response to this little fact-finding mission has far outstripped my expectations. Thank you so much.
But now you've done it. You've raised our expectations. Now we want more. Heh.
There's no reason this website can't out-draw Wayne Pacelle's blog every day. There's no reason it can't have a bigger fan base on Facebook than HSUS does. (And no, we don't need the hero worship. It's about the message.)
So here are some things you can do. The question is: Will you?
- Send one message a week to everyone on your Facebook "friends" list asking them to join HumaneWatch if they care about animals. Explain to them that the Humane Society of the United States is America's most deceptive charity, and there's finally someone trying to tell Americans about it.
- E-mail your family members who are huge animal lovers (everybody's got 'em). Send them a link to this website and to the Facebook page, and ask them what they think. Start a discussion.
- Make a YouTube video about how disappointed you are in HSUS. Got a camcorder? You have all you need. (It's not necessary to drink a quart of Red Bull before hitting "record.")
- Print out a few of the HumaneWatch ads and stick 'em in your purse or briefcase. This way you'll have something handy with the web address on it every time you get into a discussion about animals and "humane societies."
- Visit your local humane society or other pet shelter and ask if you can hang a HumaneWatch ad on their bulletin board or somewhere in their reception area. Politely explain that HSUS is sucking countless thousands of dollars out of your local community, and hardly any of that money ever finds its way back into local sheltering.
- Do the same thing at a pet store, a pet groomer, and a veterinarian's office. If you want big posters, just e-mail us and let us know.
- Wear a HumaneWatch t-shirt to a public event, and be ready to talk about what's wrong with HSUS. (Hold on tight—the merchandise shop is almost ready for launch!)
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Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper (it doesn't need to be in response to a specific article) explaining how important it is to support hands-on animal shelters at the local level, and how horrible it is that the Humane Society of the United States spends most of its money on lawyers, salaries, fundraising expenses, and executive pensions. Be sure to send readers to HumaneWatch.org for more information.
- Call the news desk at your local TV station and urge them to do an investigative report about how little of area residents' contributions to HSUS actually go to pet shelters. Find a way to show them this report from WSB-TV in Atlanta. Use the words "Emmy" and "Peabody Award" a lot
- Call a talk radio station during a phone-in segment and tell the call-screener that his or her producer should get in touch with [email protected] for an interesting interview that will shock their listeners.
There you have it. Will you help? Your enthusiasm has gotten HumaneWatch this far. We hope you're not tired yet. We're sure not.
