Blog  >  The Humane Society of the United States Wants You to Know

The Humane Society of the United States Wants You to Know

December 13, 2012 • Rescue

FIDO received this information, from the The Humane Society of the United States - please take a moment to read through the following:

A recent investigative story by Bloomberg News blew the cover off of a long-running charity scam undertaken on behalf of shadowy corporate interests who are reviving the old tactics of the tobacco industry to protect profits at the expense of public health and animal welfare.

It’s a story that should concern us all – a shocking account of how our charity laws are being twisted by a Washington D.C. front-group for the sake of profits at all costs. Just the other day, readers of Fido Friendly got a first-hand glimpse of this scam. It occurred in a published press release that cited the so-called “Humane Society for Shelter Pets” as a supposed authority on charitable donating to animal welfare groups.

The posted press release from this front group painted a false and patently cynical portrait of the work of The Humane Society of the United States. Why would someone criticize such a storied name in American charity as ours? Easy, The HSUS is working with consumers, scientists, and major food companies such as McDonalds, Burger King and hundreds of others to reduce the suffering of farm animals raised for food. And believe it or not, there are a few laggards in Agribusiness who don’t care about easing the misery for animals.

They are the ones standing in the shadows squawking. And since these people dare not stand up and defend the status quo cruelty of factory farms, they get behind this Washington lobbying operation to attack The HSUS in hopes of slowing down our achievements. They profess to care about animals. But that’s not their real aim. The man behind it all is a beltway lobbyist named Richard Berman, who learned his trade as a paid lackey defending cigarette smoking. Those were his values then and those are his values today. The news program 60 Minutes called him “Dr. Evil.” Numerous independent investigations confirm the point.

I won’t repeat the smears that he spreads using a spider-web of front groups with benign sounding names (haven’t we seen enough of this kind of PR deception out of Washington?). What makes the whole package a scam is that Berman does it in the name of nonprofit public-interest work – an unacceptable misuse of charity laws to foster corporate aims. Fido readers should be hopping mad in this age of budget deficits to see corporations misusing charity laws to attack public interest groups and deprive the U.S. treasury of tens of millions of dollars.

We trust that the millions of people who back us, and other attentive readers like you, will not be tricked by the latest gambit from a tobacco hack.  Go to HumaneSociety.org and click on “video” – you’ll be inspired by stories of our staff and volunteers rescuing animals and reuniting them with their families after Hurricane Sandy. Make sure you have a box of tissues. We opened four emergency shelters in the stricken region, working arm in arm with local animal welfare groups and governmental emergency team to provide havens for the pets of people who were left homeless or displaced by the storm.

Last year, The HSUS provided direct care for 76,955 animals – through rescue, rehabilitation, veterinary service, and sanctuary.  When we add the spay and neuter surgeries undertaken in cooperation with World Spay Day partners, the number of animals assisted rises to 125,625. Beyond that, The HSUS and its affiliates operate one of the largest networks of animal care centers and sanctuaries in the United States.  The HSUS has rescued and provided hands-on care to more than 60,000 animals already in 2012.

All of this work is thanks to the generosity of Americans. We are grateful for this support, and we also urge people to also keep in mind that local animal shelters and rescue groups need their support, too. Confronting cruelty requires people of good heart to stand together, and not let outliers divide us.

Michael Markarian
Chief Program and Policy Officer
The Humane Society of the United States

To support The Humane Society of the United States, please make a monthly donation, or give in another way, via a gift donation or memorial donation or donating your vehicle. You can also volunteer for The HSUS, and see our 55 ways you can help animals.

The HSUS is rated a 4-star charity (the highest possible) by Charity Navigator, approved by the Better Business Bureau for all 20 standards for charity accountability, voted by Guidestar’s Philanthropedia experts as the #1 high-impact animal protection group, and named by Worth Magazine as one of the 10 most fiscally responsible charities.

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