Case in Point...

Very shortly after I posted about the HSUS agenda, I stumbled upon a Feedstuffs Magazine article that completely re-enforces the illegitimacy of HSUS shenanigans.

Consider this: In 2008, the Humane Society of the United States generated $86 million dollars. Knowing only this, how much of the total would you assume HSUS spends collecting, protecting, and finding homes for stray and abandoned pets? Possibly $70 million? The remaining $16 million should be more than enough to cover operating costs, right? Apparently not. $50 million? Wrong. ONE million? Still no. So how much, you ask? The few real HSUS shelters in the US got a minuscule $450,000 to care for dogs and cats in need. That is such a pitiful amount compared to $86 million that I had to laugh (not because it is funny, but because it completely contradicts what HSUS tells the public). $20 million of their budget was spent on 'campaigns, legislation, & litigation.' Remember Proposition 2 (the anti-California agriculture regulations they are forcing into place) from my last post? Advertising something like that is more important to the Humane Society than the animals they say are protected by the organization. $25 million was spent on FUNDRAISING (seems to me like nearly $100 million dollars should be enough, but what do I know?). Recall the compassionate celebrity with the scruffy cat from the commercial? She made more money from her fifteen seconds of airtime than was spent on all of the HSUS animals in the country. The fine Wayne Pacelle, president of HSUS, was given a salary of $250,000 - more than half of what was spent on those he claims to protect. I think if you look up hypocrite in the dictionary the definition is (or should be) 'everyone on the Humane Society of the United States payroll'...

What I have just written is public financial information, meaning everyone has access to it. I would hope, after seeing this, you realize the Humane Society of the United States is flat out lying about what it is doing with donated money. Why does CNN not run a headline story spreading the word about these discrepancies? They can find this information easily. If a high profile bank or a nationally known business lied about their financial agenda it would make headlines and front pages for a month, but the HSUS reality is glazed over by the media and they are instead touted as a kind, caring, honest group of good-doers. Understanding why it happens is too much for my 22 year old mind to comprehend. The only way to spread the word is to encourage everyone reading this to remember the facts and tell your friends.

I have been hard on the Humane Society (and rightfully so). My opinion about the organization, however, does not mean that I think it is wrong to collect and save animals from unfortunate situations. Pets are great, and animals should not be abused by people. If you feel the need to donate time or money to help the cause but find yourself wondering where to direct the funding, consider donating directly to your local shelter. Ask friends who are knowledgeable about animal rescue and care where help is needed (there are a number of such individuals who frequent our store), or check the phonebook for organizations in and around your area. By doing this, we will be able to eliminate funding for a false organization and begin to actually spread the benefits of stray collection and care.