Watchdog Report: Humane Society of the United States Shortchanges Hawaii Pet Shelters
HumaneWatch.org Analysis Finds HSUS Shares Less than One Percent of Budget with Hands-on Pet Shelters
News Release from Center for Consumer Freedom
Washington, DC – Today HumaneWatch.org, a project of the Center for Consumer Freedom, released its annual 50-state report, “Not Your Local Humane Society,” highlighting the failure of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to significantly share its multi-million dollar budget with local hands-on pet shelters. The report once again finds HSUS spends millions on fundraising, lobbying, and advertising, while stiffing pet shelters in Hawaii. You can see the full report here: http://www.humanewatch.org/images/uploads/Not_Your_Local_Shelter_2012.pdf
HSUS’s advertisements promote the public misperception that it serves as the national umbrella group for local dog and cat shelters. However, HumaneWatch.org’s new report finds HSUS did not provide grants to any Hawaii shelters and rescues in 2011 to support pet sheltering.
Nationally, HSUS shared less than 1 percent of its $127 million budget with sheltering organizations in 2011. In the same year, HSUS spent nearly $50 million on fundraising-related expenses, which is 100 times more than it did on grants to support shelter aid. HSUS also socked away $2.4 million into its pension plan. “Not Your Local Humane Society” includes an accounting of HSUS grants for the years 2009, 2010, and 2011. The data is drawn directly from the pet rights group’s tax returns.
“The Humane Society of the United States is a ‘humane society’ in name only,” said J. Justin Wilson, CCF Senior Research Analyst. “The vegan group actively misleads Americans into believing it provides significant monetary support to local hands-on shelters, but its financial records tell a very different story. In reality, HSUS sucks millions out of communities that could go to support local pet shelters and rescues that are struggling daily to just keep the doors open.”
An April 2012 poll of over 1,000 self-identified HSUS supporters found that 90 percent of HSUS's donors were unaware that HSUS gives just 1 percent of its budget to local pet shelters. Additionally, recent public polling by ORC International determined that 71 percent of Americans mistakenly believe that HSUS is a pet shelter umbrella group, and 68 percent wrongly think that HSUS spends most of its money on pet shelters. To combat this donor confusion, a number of shelters going as far as changing their names, distancing themselves from the HSUS.
“With $183 million in assets HSUS can clearly afford to tackle the biggest problems faced by pet shelters, but it appears the organization has other priorities, such as pushing a PETA-like vegan agenda,” continued Wilson. “Diverting valuable funds from American shelters is hardly humane.”
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The Center for Consumer Freedom is a nonprofit coalition supported by restaurants, food companies, and consumers, working together to promote personal responsibility and protect consumer choices.
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