HumaneWatch Editorial in The Tennessean

Take a look at this page: http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100514/OPINION03/5140330/Make-the-most-of-donation-by-giving-to-a-local-pet-shelter

Great comments about HSUS on The Tennessean site.

Make the most of donation by giving to a local pet shelter

BY DAVID MARTOSKO • MAY 14, 2010

Tennessee Voices

This week, Nashville is host to a large animal-care expo for shelter professionals. It seems like a noble cause. But who's behind it — and what their goals are — might surprise you.

You're probably familiar with the slick infomercials from the Humane Society of the United States. The TV ads are everywhere, asking for monthly pledges while taking you on a tour through tear-jerking pictures of homeless cats and dogs. Just give $19 a month, the ads suggest, and your money will be used to help these poor puppies and kittens.

But what if it's all smoke and mirrors? Most Americans — 71 percent, according to a recent Opinion Research Corp. poll — think the Humane Society of the United States is an umbrella group for pet shelters.

It isn't. It is not affiliated with any local humane societies.

That poll also shows that 59 percent believe the group gives "most of its money" to local pet shelters. That's false, too. In fact, hands-on dog and cat shelters at the local level received less than 1 percent of the $86 million HSUS raised in 2008.

So, if you pledge $19 a month to Humane Society of the United States, $228 a year, barely $1 will trickle down to pet shelters. What's going on? What else would an "animal welfare" group do with $86 million in donations and $150 million-plus in the bank?

The answer isn't very cuddly.

You can see the group's money — your money, really — at work in statehouses, courtrooms and ballot boxes. That's where the organization pushes for animal rights, not to be confused with animal welfare. HSUS is driven by the belief that animals deserve legal rights, including the right to not be eaten as food and the right to sue people in court.

So while HSUS does precious little for the dogs and cats in its TV ads, it does work overtime to drive a wedge between animals and people. The group works to reduce everyone's consumption of meat, eggs and dairy, for instance. It does this by filing lawsuits, lobbying for new laws and pushing for ever-tighter regulations — driving up the cost of being an egg producer or a cattle rancher.

If these farmers won't give cows, pigs, and chickens their "rights," the group will just drive them out of business.

The Humane Society of the United States plasters its ads with images of pets. The warm-and-fuzzy approach is clearly fundraising gold. But is the animal-rights industry's agenda really what well-meaning Americans want to support with their $19 monthly donations? I doubt it.

It's getting so that there's only one way animal lovers can be sure their donations actually go to help pet shelters and animal welfare programs: Give locally. Help the shelters in your community, not the big-bucks animal-rights lobby in Washington.

David Martosko is director of research at the Center for Consumer Freedom, a nonprofit watchdog group that deals with activities of tax-exempt activist groups.

Discussion of HSUS in The Tennessean

Take a look at this page: http://blogs.tennessean.com/opinion/2010/05/19/humane-society-deserves-better-than-recent-criticism/

Be sure to read the comments!

You should also read another follow-up post by the HSUS paid lobbyist in Tennessee:

http://blogs.tennessean.com/opinion/2010/05/22/make-no-mistake-this-group-isn’t-animal-friendly/comment-page-1/

Again, read the comments. You'll see that there is a serious lack of support for HSUS once people know how little of their money they actually donate to animal shelters.

Getting to Know HSUS

By Rick Jordahl | Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Layer by layer, the facade of the Humane Society of the United States is being peeled back revealing the group’s far-reaching objectives. The world is learning that at the center is an animal rights group with much more on its agenda than saving dogs and cats.

Australian wine maker, Casella Wines, learned the hard way. After the company’s commitment to donate $100,000 was roundly criticized by many consumers of the wine makers’ Yellow Tail wine, the company reevaluated their commitment to HSUS.

In exchanges with the Animal Agriculture Alliance, Casella has decided that “future support for animal welfare will go to organizations specifically devoted to hands-on care, such as rescue, sterilization, feeding, or disaster assistance.”

Casella Wines’ wish to aid and support animals seems genuine and the company’s misdirected donation, while unfortunate, is understandable. HSUS fund-raising tactics excel at generating donations from those who are unaware of the group’s extensive agenda.

More layers of the HSUS exterior will be peeled back with last week’s launch of the Web site www.HumaneWatch.org . Sponsored by the Center for Consumer Freedom, the site’s objective is to educate the public about what HSUS is and what it is not. CCF is a non-profit organization supported by over 100 companies and thousands of individual consumers.

“People mistake HSUS for an animal welfare group that manages pet shelters,” says David Martosko, CCF director of research. “Part of the objective of HumaneWatch.org is to correct that misperception.”
Full story at Pork Magazine link

Pilot backs away from $52k in donations to HSUS

Knoxville based Pilot Travel Centers, LLC is essentially apologizing for for more than $52,000 in employee and customers contributions to the Humane Society of the United States.

On Thursday, the Humane Society acknowledged support from the travel centers.

"We're giving a shout out to Pilot Travel Centers for standing up against animal cruelty and supporting us!" HSUS said on its Facebook Page. The post garnered 2,411 people who said they liked that message, and 106 comments.

Then Pilot started taking flak for the support on its Facebook page, with many of the comments arguing the group does not fight the for the interests of Tennessee families who work and depend on agriculture.

Friday, Pilot issued a statement regarding the relationship of the company with the animal rights organization.

"We sincerely regret any actions that led to the misperception of our support of this organization. Pilot Travel Centers is a strong supporter of agriculture interests in our home state of Tennessee and across the country," the statement said.

Also in that statement, the company said they gave the HSUS the money for three specific areas:

1.Rural Veterinary Care
2.Disaster Relief
3.A foreclosure fund to house animals impacted by the housing crisis.
The statement went on to say, "Since 2007, less than $52,000 in voluntary donations from customers and employees was collected in stores as part of an employee-driven charity event. The money went to three specific areas: rural animal veterinary care services, disaster relief and a foreclosure fund to help rescue animals left behind in homes during the foreclosure crisis."

"In order to avoid any further misunderstandings, employees will immediately cease collections of donations to HSUS. Pilot corporate has never matched a single dollar of these donations and will not support any organization that has an agenda that works against agriculture interests."

Pilot didn't have any comment beyond the statement released.

The Humane Society released a statement in response to the online fracas:

We thank employees and customers of Pilot Travel Centers for three years of loyal support for animals in need. We regret they are no longer being given the opportunity in stores to support our work to help animals abandoned in the foreclosure crisis, to help end pet overpopulation and aid animals in distress.
Source: WBIR news Knoxville