HSUS and false fundraising

[furbabymom]

http://investors.com/breakingnews.as...nalid=57742400

Humane Society of the United States Misled Americans With Fundraising Pitch, Says Center for Consumer Freedom

WASHINGTON, Aug 02, 2007 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Today the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) called on the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to return all the money it has raised in the wake of the Michael Vick dogfighting scandal. CCF revealed today that beginning on July 18 -- the day after Vick's criminal indictment -- HSUS promised on its website that financial contributions would be earmarked for helping it "care for the dogs seized in the Michael Vick case." But yesterday The New York Times reported that HSUS is not, in fact, caring for the animals. And HSUS president Wayne Pacelle told the Times that his group is recommending that government officials "put down" (that is, kill) the dogs rather than adopt them out to suitable homes.
"Like most Americans, we can't stand dogfighting," said Center for Consumer Freedom Director of Research David Martosko. "But we also can't stand animal-rights fundraising that smells this fishy."
The Humane Society of the United States is not affiliated with any local "humane societies." Although the organization runs no hands-on dog or cat shelters anywhere, some of its fundraising materials hint at a direct connection with pet rescue operations.
HSUS's online fundraising pitch related to Michael Vick has now been quietly altered to remove the claim that the group is caring for his pit bulls. But there's no reliable way to know how much money the group raised on the basis of its earlier promises.
"As usual, HSUS is exploiting Americans' emotions about dogs to build its war chest for anti-meat, anti-dairy, and anti-medical-research campaigns," Martosko added. "These predatory activists should return every cent and apologize for misleading the public."
In a similar episode, HSUS raised a reported $32 million in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina disaster, promising to use the funds to rescue and reunite lost pets with their owners. But since March 2006, Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti's office has been investigating what happened to the majority of those funds, which HSUS does not appear to have used for Katrina- related rescues.


-- The New York Times article is online at
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/01/sp...ll/01vick.html
-- HSUS's false fundraising claim is preserved online at
http://www.consumerfreedom.com/images/hsus_clip.png


For more information about the Humane Society of the United States, visit http://www.ActivistCash.com/HSUS. For an interview, call 202-463-7112.
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.
Media Contact: Sarah Longwell

[Prin]

So what does the Humane society do?

I don't know enough about fighting dogs to know if they can be rehabbed... The optimist says they can...

[Golden Girls]

Originally Posted by Prin

So what does the Humane society do?

they do a hell of alot for animal welfare http://www.hsus.org/campaigns_programs.html

Our Montreal SPCA is not associated with the National SPCA - yet their fundraising is totally legal and they do nothing to help our animals in Quebec not even a simple education program so ...

All the dogs that were seized cannot be adopted nor euthanized until the trial is over. The only one to blame here is VICK and all the ones like him ... not the HSUS geez!

[Angeleyes]

I got those emails from the HSUS... normally I would've donated but I know they don't offically deny supporting breed specific ordinances, even as simple as S/N laws... so I cannot support them fully.

As for fighting dogs being rehabilitated, they certainly can be. They can be the most vicious dog fighter, and the most gentle dog with humans... and may even be able to be rehabilitated with animals (though not highly likely)

However, from a rescue standpoint. Adoptiong out SO many dogs with known animal aggression is a huge liability. If one of these dogs turned on a person, the organization that adopted them out and tested them would be held responsible. That is not a risk most are willing to take.

Additionally, who is to say that EVERY adoptable family is repsonsible enough to keep their pet on lead and away from other animals? It's a shame but it's true.

IMO, being humanely put down is better than being at the hands of dog fighters. It breaks my heart to say, but it's so true.

I wish someone would at least try to give these dogs a life with love... but it's such a huge risk (thanks to the scum that made them this way) that it probably won't happen. If I didn't have a dog to put at risk, I'd give it a shot. *shrug*