HSUS One Percent

 

 

I just felt the need to share this with our followers, not to create outrage or to coerce you to choose a side.  I just want to give you something to think about, especially if you are an animal lover, and you have been pledging your $19/month to an organization that claims to be “rescuing”.

The definition of “rescue”, meaning the act of rescue may mean something different to each one of us.

Written 08/27/12  by Jennifer Baker:  “The HSUS is perceived as a non-profit charity with the sole purpose of raising funds to protect animals. But the HSUS is not your local animal shelter. In fact, the HSUS is known to charge local animal shelters exorbitant certification fees, some as high as $25,000. That is money that could be better spent to rescue animals from abuse. HSUS raises nearly $149 million annually with the majority being spent on exorbitant salaries, pensions, Washington, DC lobbyists and fundraisers. Less than 4% of HSUS’ revenue is used to protect animals –seven times that is spent on salaries alone. HSUS’ CEO, Wayne Pacelle, makes an annual salary of $275,000 and over the years he has made over $2.86 million. The HSUS spends $36.2 million in salaries with more than 28 employees making over $100,000 per year. They spend $24.2 million dollars on fundraising and over $17 million on lobbying.”

Adopter and TDL supporter Andi Brown recently wrote in her testimonial:

There are a lot of charities out there for the welfare of animals. There are so many homeless and helpless animals in the world, it’s hard to know where we can donate and which group will HONESTLY make a difference for the good of the dog world.  I know of many charity groups who have had a lot of controversy or questions as to where the monies go and to whom they may benefit in the long run. I have given donations to many different organizations over the years, just to later hear how the Managers somehow mismanaged the funds and sometimes even put giant salaries into their own pockets, instead of putting the money where the animals themselves really need it.  

I have known The Dog Liberator for nearly two years now, and I have NEVER found a better RESCUE GROUP.  They care for the dogs in so many ways that others would not.  The quality of the food, veterinary care, socializing the dogs, and making darn sure that not one of their dogs is ever abandoned again.  They are honest, hard-working and do only what is BEST for the dogs that they bring into our lives.  I trust that they have, and will continue to do what’s right for the pets, the people and the planet.  PLEASE help TDL so they can help the ones that need our attention the most. “Doc” Holiday and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts and we want you to open your heart and if TDL has touched you in a special way…. Please let’s not let them fall, let’s support them instead. Go to their website. See for yourself all the good that they do, and find a way to help them NOW!   Wishing you and your pets great health!  

Andi Brown, author of The Whole Pet Diet

 

While TDL can not provide you with an expensive full-color calendar, a fancy bag or a free t-shirt, we can provide you with transparency.  Every day we post exactly what’s going on with our dogs, either on our Blog, Facebook, Twitter, our Newsletter or personal emails from us.  We even take photos of what we feed our sick dogs!  We won’t send you a generic photo of a dog you helped save with your $19/month, we  provide you with real deal, the whole story, all of the photos, the actual adoptions, in real time, for example, Stella who came from Chilton County HS emaciated.  It is a lot of work to keep you updated in this fashion, but we do it not for ourselves, but for you.  Because of the bad practices of people and groups who call themselves rescue, we feel that we must always prove ourselves.  We are not hoarders who disguise themselves as a rescue.

While I believe HSUS provides the American public a valuable service, I strongly believe that their commercials are misleading.  They do not clean vomit or sanitize bloody stool from parvo puppies.  They do not stay up all night with a dog that has pneumonia.  They do not hold a feral dog on leash next to them for hours just to socialize them.  No, they depend on people like us to do that.  Hence the 1%.

The unanswered question is, if you can donate, who will you choose?  We have created every creative way imaginable for our supporters to donate.  Regardless of your views, we invite you to comment.

From Amazon Wish Lists, to Virtual Sponsorship, Advertising, and Corporate Partners.  We simply need your continued support, your pledge, your commitment… your Promise…  not for me, not for TDL, but for the dogs.  Please donate today!

If you’re read to read more details, the links below should be able to provide you with more than both sides of the story

TWSHO Calls on Humane Society to Release Hotline Information to Celebration

MICHAEL WILSON: Animal rescue groups are not always what they seem

Pet adoption can cost a lot more than you might think

The HSUS Responds to CCF
Gisele
thedogliberator.com
gisele.thedogliberator@gmail.com
24.233.151.95
Submitted on 2012/09/11 at 7:30 pm
I’m honored that we have both of you to share this info with us. I’m going to copy/paste your comments into the body of this post so no one misses a thing! Thank you for all of this insight!

 

Treehuggergal
kablock@gmail.com
128.239.165.38
Submitted on 2012/09/11 at 4:45 pm | In reply to sherry.
Thanks! Just based on the title and a quick word search of the article, it looks like that was something PETA did, not HSUS. The two organizations have similar missions on their face, but very different methods of achieving those goals. If we’re talking about PETA, the conversation is very different.

 

 

sherry
aol.com
sajsk@aol.com
72.192.245.153
Submitted on 2012/09/11 at 4:35 pm
treehuggergal, here is the Hufpo link.
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/douglas-anthony-cooper/peta-animals-kill_b_1850755.html

 

 

Gisele
thedogliberator.com
gisele.thedogliberator@gmail.com
24.233.151.95
Submitted on 2012/09/11 at 2:58 pm
I truly believe in freedom of speech, and I try very hard to present all sides, and allow “polite” opinions. Which is why it was so important for me to include the rebuttal from HSUS, http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/opposition/facts/response_ccf_ad.html, in this post. There’s always two sides to every story. It’s up to my readers to search for answers, and share their opinions.

Two women, Carol Bowman Henderson and I, alone started the campaign to stop the gassing in Clovis New Mexico several years ago. It was Carol’s advocacy, one poem, and one youtube video that stopped the gassing in the entire state of New Mexico. We called HSUS, and begged for help. Our calls fell on deaf ears.

Randy Grim was extremely helpful and gave us a lot of great advice. One week shy of one year, the gassing was banned state wide. All of the details are documented in this Blog…. We did it.

I know HSUS sends in their big guns, and takes the glory for shutting down operations, after the little people, like Carol creates the big stink and does all the work.

 

 

Treehuggergal

kablock@gmail.com

128.239.165.38
Submitted on 2012/09/11 at 2:18 pm | In reply to sherry.
That is exactly my point: donate to whoever you would like. If you disagree with the HSUS’s stance on kill shelters, pull your money and tell them why. If you don’t like the junk they send you, the solution is the same and a very valid one. Also, if you have a link to that HuffPo article, I’d love to read it and learn more.

The point of my post was to point out that the post contains misleading and outright wrong numbers. I’d add to that that HumaneWatch.org (cited in the graphic at the top of the post) is a front for Richard Berman, who gets a lot of money to attack consumer protection, environmental, and animal welfare groups, including the CDC and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (source: http://www.prwatch.org/node/8894, http://bit.ly/eK7Rxj). I wouldn’t trust them as a source since they clearly have ulterior motives that have nothing to do with animal rescue.

Let me make this very clear: I am absolutely in favor of donating to TDL. I am in favor of donating to local shelters. As the owner of several rescue dogs and volunteer at my own local shelter, it is CRUCIAL to support such organizations in any way you can. Furthermore, I do believe that there are valid criticisms of HSUS. My objection lies only in the misleading information in this post and the well-meaning repetition of information from an organization whose interests in smearing HSUS probably lie more in HSUS’s work against factory farming than any concern for abandoned dogs.

 

 

sherry
aol.com
sajsk@aol.com
72.192.245.153
Submitted on 2012/09/11 at 1:48 pm
This is a reply to treehuggergal — I used to donate to HSUS, but i was immediately inundated with useless stuff that i did not want — stationary, blankets, junk…i wondered why were they wasting money on junk? They also are in support of high kill shelters, as recently evidenced by an article in the huffington post last week where they sent a shelter in the south an expensive basket of gourmet cookies, after the shelter announced due to budget cuts they were going to have to euthanize more dogs. So treehuggergal, you send your money where you want; but i’ve stopped funding HSUS — my money goes to TDL and other rescue groups like Gisele’s.

 

 

Gisele
thedogliberator.com
gisele.thedogliberator@gmail.com
24.233.151.95
Submitted on 2012/09/11 at 12:37 am | In reply to Treehuggergal.
@Treehuggergal, Clearly my post said they are very valuable, I just wish their commercials were not so misleading to the general public. Thank you so much for your comment, and all of the details.

 

 

Treehuggergal
kablock@gmail.com
128.239.165.38
Submitted on 2012/09/10 at 4:06 pm
The key part of this post is that HSUS is NOT a shelter organization. They make no effort to hide that fact. Only 1% may go to shelters, but that does not mean that the rest of the money is not going to protect animals. Their mission is different, but they are still in the business of protecting animals. The money spent on lobbying is money spent on lobbying for animals rights by advocating passage of anti-puppy mill laws, anti-cruelty statutes in state and federal law (a big, recent win was the law banning so-called “crush videos”), and yes, also rescuing animals from puppy mills and disaster situations. They may not be the only organization that does so, but they lend their considerable resources to such efforts. HSUS also works on other measures affecting the welfare of more than just dogs and cats. They have been particularly effective in advocating for circus animals and wild horses to name a few.
This is not to downplay the importance of funding and supporting animal shelters. That is absolutely a worthy and, I would argue, necessary action for anyone passionate about animal welfare. However, condemning the HSUS and posting such misleading numbers is not the way to advocate for greater support of animal shelters. It’s not true that the CEO gets over $275,000 (the actual number is $248,076). Furthermore, that amount only represents 0.19% of the funds spent on administrative expenses, which in turn represent only 3.7% of the organization’s total expenditures. 19% is spent on fundraising while 77% of their revenue is spent on the business of protecting animals. These numbers are courtesy of Charity Navigator ( http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=3848) where the HSUS has a four star rating – the highest they give.
The HSUS is one of our biggest allies in the fight for animal welfare and are doing important work in changing how the law views animals and their rights. You are also doing invaluable work on the ground making a difference in individual dogs’ lives. Both efforts are crucial, but if you value the on the ground work more than the big picture work, then the answer is to donate your time and money to local rescues, not to vilify HSUS.