I hate the HSUS – And you should, too
I’ve known for a while that I hate PETA – come on, who doesn’t hate PETA? They’re a self aggrandizing PR-machine that does sweet f*ck all for the actual welfare of actual animals. They are hypocrites. They are liars. They wear stupid costumes, and they kill more animals than they save.
But the HSUS? The Humane Society of the United States? They’re a humane society, for Gods’ sake. They’re supposed to be all about saving animals – ensuring their humane treatment.
hu·mane – adjective
1.characterized by tenderness, compassion, and sympathy for people and animals, esp. for the suffering or distressed: humane treatment of horses.
Surely, then, sympathy and compassion for the victims of Michael Vick. Surely humane treatment of the dogs who fought and died for Michael Vick. Surely, from the Humane Society of the United States – the society that ran a highly lucrative ad campaign in which they claimed the funds would be used to ‘care for the four legged victims of Michael Vick’. To care for those dogs is surely humane.
Unless it’s all a lie, which it was.
Which it is. A 20 million dollar lie – that’s the estimate of how much money the HSUS raised, with their email campaign soliciting funds for the ‘care of the dogs seized from Michael Vick’. It’s a lie which used the already victimized dogs of Michael Vick to raise money – not for their care, but for the Humane Society of the United States’ own ends. Ends which don’t include live Pit Bulls, by the way.
“Officials from our organization have examined some of these dogs and, generally speaking, they are some of the most aggressively trained pit bulls in the country,” Wayne Pacelle, the president and chief executive of the Humane Society of the United States, said in a telephone interview Tuesday. “Hundreds of thousands of less-violent pit bulls, who are better candidates to be rehabilitated, are being put down. The fate of these dogs will be up to the government, but we have recommended to them, and believe, they will be eventually put down.”
Pacelle said the Humane Society normally advocated that fighting dogs be put down shortly after being seized.
“Four months is a long time, a long time to be warehoused,” he said. “They may be walked only once a day, if that. We don’t know how well they are being kept. They are likely being held in cages for months on end.”
But Pacelle said his organization supported the government’s efforts. “It is lose-lose for the dogs,” he said. “They either die a gruesome death as a dogfighter in action, or they will be killed because they are not adoptable.”
And so, in this case, for the Humane Society of the United States ‘caring for’ Michael Vick’s dogs means killing them. Killing them with kindness is apparently not just a cliche, not for the HSUS.
But Pacelle said his organization supported the government’s efforts. “It is lose-lose for the dogs,” he said. “They either die a gruesome death as a dogfighter in action, or they will be killed because they are not adoptable.”
If I’d sent them money, money I assumed was earmarked for the care of the Vick Pit Bulls – since after all, that’s what they’d been telling people! – I’d be so pissed I’d want to hunt them down and bitch slap them with a pinch collar. But hey, that’s just me.
And now… this. Of all the shameless, heartless, disgusting profiteering that has taken place surrounding this case, this has got to be one of the most completely blatant. The HSUS is auctioning off the notes Michael Vick read from when giving his “I’m sorta sorry” speech.
What are they claiming the money raised will go for?
Three guesses.
Shame on you, HSUS. Shame on you. There’s a special corner of hell reserved for you, and for your brethren at PETA, for being completely unashamed to use a tragedy like this to raise money for your own publicity machines.
Shame on you, and hand over the damned money to the people actually caring for the dogs.
Those people, by the way, are the ASPCA, and Bad Rap. Send them some money, if you can. And send a note to HSUS telling them you think they suck, super sized.
What the USHS does is the worst kind of fraud. Using the public’s concern for dogs to raise money for causes that have nothing to do with helping dogs. Or rather helping dogs by killing dogs.
At least PETA presents itself as Looney Tunes, but the USHS presents itself as some caring organization instead of the worst sorts of hypocrits.
I have to say Jan, that you are very wrong to take on the HSUS in this manner. The poor and extremely unfortunate dogs from Michael Vick’s “business” are Pit Bulls that, if left to their own devices with loving owners would be wonderful dogs. But sadly, this breed is a dog that was bred for aggressiveness which can or can not be manifested. In this case, it is, and in an extreme way. So how does one hold the Humane Society responsible for the fact that they deal with over 10 million cases of animal rescue a year and they KNOW through completel evaluation that these dogs would take YEARS to turn around. Let’s talk about putting more pressure on the justice system to up the jail time for Mr. Vick and ALL of his co-horts. If you would like to donate an extra 100,000 to re-habilitate all of these dogs, great. If not, then let’s concentrate on the millions of dogs and cats who are saved by the Humane Society.
Latest ads are disgustingly misleading.
1. HSUS is not in any way related or associated with any state or local Humane Society that actually runs, manages or funds animal shelters.
2. check out how much money they actually give to animal care in any way shape or form…
Pathetic,
Shameless,
Exploitation.
First off, Jan didn’t take on HSUS – I did. She just agreed with me, so let’s not pick on poor Jan.
Now, addressing your points…
“how does one hold the Humane Society responsible for the fact that they deal with over 10 million cases of animal rescue a year and they KNOW through completel evaluation that these dogs would take YEARS to turn around”
Name one hundred cases of hands on animal rescue done by the HSUS, let alone 10 million. Now, name ONE case where the HSUS has even ATTEMPTED to rehabilitate – let alone PLACE – a single pit bull. You won’t be able to, because HSUS is only in favor of one thing when it comes to pit bulls – complete and total annihilation of the breed. HSUS doesn’t believe that even one single good pit bull exists, in spite of the fact that no one within their organization has first hand, hands on experience dealing with them.
They’re like ‘hunting experts’ who’ve never hunted, or ‘breeding experts’ who’ve never bred. It’s like being lectured on child rearing by my maiden aunt Dorothy, who’s not only never had a kid of her own, but who’s never met one she liked, either.
Finally, HSUS has dick to do with this case, other than using it to line their own insatiably greedy pockets. The hands on work is being done by the ASPCA, who actually do handle thousands of cases of animal rescue per year, and BAD RAP, who’ve likely successfully re-habbed more ex-fighting pit bulls than any other rescue group in this country.
And yes – they could use an extra hundred thousand to work on these dogs, and guess who should hand it over?
The HSUS, who’ve shamelessly used the Vick dogs as a source of fund raising, without lifting one finger to provide them any form of welfare or assistance whatsoever.
Oh, and PETA can bite me, too.
best friends helped out in rescueing the mike vick pits as well but best friends didn’t ask for any money like hsus and peta did, i agreed with you a million percent hsus should hand down the money to BAD RAP, BEST FRIENDS, AND ANY OTHER ORG. THAT HELPED OUT IN THE RESCUE
A pit bull, family owned, never aggressive, killed my daughter.
I’m sorry to hear about your loss, but I can post a link to a Jack Russel Terrier who killed a baby – or the huskies who killed a newborn in Quebec.
ANY dog, of ANY breed, can kill a child if left with it unattended. That’s a sad fact that we all have to acknowledge, if we want to prevent anything else like this from happening.