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In Part I of this two-part article, we look at recent news made by the Seattle Human Society, The ASPCA and the Toronto Humane Society. These stories bring to the forefront the relationship between the Humane Society of the United States and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the more 3,500 animals shelters across the country which bear the name "Humane Society" (e.g., Seattle Humane Society) and "SPCA" (i.e., Ontario SPCA). Therefore, Part II will explore the relationship, or lack thereof, between these different entities.
Seattle Humane Society officials recently warned Seattle residents that donations made to ASPCA street solicitors in Seattle will be used to help animals outside of the Seattle area.
There is nothing inherently unethical about raising money directly from people in the street, if done respectfully. However, ethical behavior does require full disclosure. In this case, the ASPCA has acted unethically by failing to disclose the way donors' money will be spent. This is particularly important at a time when the Seattle Humane Society will be taking over animal shelter and adoption operations from King County. No doubt this will require greater donations from the Seattle-area public, money which residents may be giving to the ASPCA not knowing (and not asking) where their donations will be used.
The Toronto Humane Society ("THS") had its own unethical story to deal with as top officials, including its President Tim Trow, and the Board of Directors were arrested on animal cruelty charges after investigators from the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ("OSPCA") found evidence of "extreme abuse." OSPCA Officer Kevin Strooband, who was in charge of the raid, stated that the animals were in distress. Nevertheless, THS staff allege that there was no abuse. Rather, they say this is a dispute over the organization's refusal to euthanize animals. However, the arrests come less than 6 months after several current and former employees and volunteers of the THS raised concerns over the treatment of the animals at the shelter. Moreover, a live video report shows a mummified cat in a trap allegedly found in the shelter. According to Strooband, such traps are baited with food and are used to trap an animal and transfer it to a proper cage where proper care can be given. In the case of this cat, "[t]hat wasn't done," he said, adding that the trap had been set in the shelter's drop ceiling and "[t]his was pretty deliberate. Somebody set that trap and knew it was up there. You'll see one of the ceiling tiles is removed and you'll see wires hanging out. Those wires -- we didn't cut them. They were chewed through. The cat pulled the wires in the cage in an effort to do whatever it could to get out." Another cat was found severely dehydrated. Another had an ulcerated tongue, but it wasn't on any medication.
All face the following charges :
- THS's President Tim Trow - 2 charges of cruelty to animals and 3 charges of obstruction of a peace officer.
- THS's head veterinarian Dr. Steve Sheridan - 1 charge of cruelty to animals.
- THS's General Manager Gary McCracken - 2 charges of cruelty to animals, and 3 charges of obstruction of a peace officer.
- Employee Andy Bechtel - 2 charges of cruelty to animals and 3 charges of obstruction of a peace officer.
- Employee Romeo Bernadino - 2 charges of cruelty to animals and 3 charges of obstruction of a peace officer.
Additionally, THS's board of directors will face 5 charges of animal cruelty. The animal cruelty charges, if proven, carry a maximum penalty of 5 years in jail.
At the time of the raid, THS reportedly "cared" for over 1,000 animals.
What a sad day it would for all animal lovers, and this animal lover in particular, if it turned out that it was not a single apple that was spoiled. Let's just hope that this is an isolated case and that upper management does the proper thing. Of course, as an attorney. I trust that all applicants for employment and volunteerism are properly screened for animal abuse convictions. I further trust that performance and behaviors are closely monitored and that problem individuals are quickly let go.
This latter story may be used by anti-animal rights or animal welfare to, once argue, against the ASPCA and/or the HSUS. Reached for comment, HSUS's Executive Director Wayne Pacelle, reminded this examiner that the HSUS does"not run all humane societies, just like the ASPCA does not run local SPCAs. [The HSUS] provides a range of support programs and services for all sorts of local humane groups – whether companion animal, equine, or wildlife rehabilitation -- but [does] not run them. [The HSUS does], however, run the largest animal care program in the country, but these are all branded HSUS facilities and services."
In Part II, we'll explore the relationship or lack therof between the HSUS, the ASPCA and the various shelters which bear the name Humane Society.
For more info: Puget Sound Business Journal: seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2009/11/23/daily26.html; Live video report: calgary.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20091127/OSPCA_arrests_091127/20091127/ EcoStar Law, PLLC: www.ecostarlaw.com; EcoStar Consulting, LLC: www.ecostarconsulting.com
Comments
One can be sure that HSUS is not an animal protection conglomerate but an animal rights organization and animal rights is a social movement using the media, sympathy and lies. With more and more killings in some shelters and the news reports of criminal behavior in animal shelters and animal control it can get quite confusing. One should know the difference in animal rights and animal welfare, and there is a big difference. HSUS believe in no companion animals, tries to limit numebers and breeds, spay and neuter everything, micromanage farms into non existance. I am an animal welfarest, I do not have to become a vegan to show compassion to animals. I believe in animal research to save human lives. We also own a farm that furnishes protein to the USA. I am also a realist. I support animal welfarist. Those are the people in the trenches actually caring for animals without the HSUS donations or help.
call the HSUs "life line' to "donate your $19.00 per month that they beg for on TV.. ask the nice person who answers the phone how many "shelters' the HSUS operates.. your answer will be ( as mine was over and over again) THOUSANDS.. yes THOUSANDS.. if that is not out right LYING and FRAUD I don't know what is...
Friends Don't let Friends Donate to the HSUS or any "animal rights "groups..
Think Globally
Give Locally
H$U$ doesn't run ALL the shelters? RU KidN Me? They don't run ANY shelters! They want you to THINK they do, but that's not the case. They also want you to think that they're all about protecting animals, but nothing could be further from the truth. Even Pacelle himself has said "One generation and out. I have no problem with the extinction of domestic animals."
H$U$ has squeezed over $100 million out of gullible folks who think it's being used to "rescue" animals. Instead, they are using your money to fund the campaigns of legislators who will pass laws that turn all pet owners into criminals and push for warrantless searches and seizures and 'forfeiture bonds' which take away your pets before you go to trial, much less are found guilty of any wrong doing.
Remember the Paseo Law that was proposed in the 90's? Know why it was defeated? Because the Extremists tacked on a couple things to it that even the legislators in Tacoma couldn't live with:
1. Upon the ACCUSATION of cruelty, all your real and personal property could be seized and ownership would pass to the 'animal welfare' organization that came knocking on your door.
2. ANYBODY could declare themselves an 'animal welfare' organization, so your pets, furniture and home might not go to support your county shelter.
3. Animal control officials would be allowed to carry WEAPONS and DISCHARGE THEM in carrying out their duties. These aren't trained police officers, but ACO's with no training!
Think those items might have a conflict with a little thing called the Constitution of the United States?
Back in the 90s I lived in King Co. PAWS used to operate a no-kill shelter in Snohomish. They and other 'animal welfare' groups wanted to create an issue with the King Co. shelter and so they quietly closed their Snohomish facility, which forced people to surrender their pets to King Co. instead.
And whaddaya know? Suddenly, there's a huge spike in King Co's shelter intake! OMG! A crisis! Let's convince King Co. to divert $400K from the Parks budget and hire people at $10/hr to go door-to-door throughout the county and survey how many people have licensed dogs! Let's fine them! Let's take their dogs away~! What wonderful animal welfare people are we?
You work for Nathan, right? Or the AKC? It's not like you're fooling anyone with your obvious agendas - discredit people doing good work so you can make money of your farm and your breeding. You're threatened and rightly so. I AM an animal welfare professional and I support HSUS and the ASPCA.
You want to help the animals in your community then donate locally, not nationally. HSUS and ASPCA have their agendas that do nothing to help shelter animals. I worked for HSUS and have seen how they will shade the truth (or lie) to make a buck. Remember when they went begging for money to care for the Vick dogs and then had to retract and reword their ads because they had nothing to do with the dogs? Remember Hurrican Katrina and the millions collected that never ended up in the Gulf Coast. There was a reason the LA Attorney General investigated them. HSUS is not beyond reshaping facts to further their agenda and collect money. Take a look at their website and some of their stories and then go online and see the other side. If yo uwant an example, go to blog.thecarrollcoxshow.com/ and take a look at how they portray their activities in Hawaii versus what others are saying. Another case of "Anything for a Buck" Pacelle.
Why would anyone ever want their name or money supporting animal radical groups not "just" out to wipe out all pets and all farm animals but also being used to animal husbandry from states and animal use from indigenous peoples who depend for life on their relationship with animals? I'm tired of seeing gonad gutted empty shells of animals at tax dodging animal sanctuaries while animal radicals quietly commit genocide on their species. We're truly sick when we allow America's mustangs to be killed off by sterilization as has been going on for so many decades. And all for what? The benefit of cattle grazing on BLM land at less than $1.50/head/month. HSUS is not about animal cruelty. It's far more about furthering the destruction that's already been done to America--this time in removing our food security leaving us foreign food dependent and stripped of animal husbandry farmers. Enough! Animals we need; H$U$ we need--rid of.
Skeptical wrote, "You work for Nathan, right? (Are you referring to Nathan Winograd? Now there's a smart man.) Or the AKC? (You hae something against AKC?) It's not like you're fooling anyone with your obvious agendas - discredit people doing good work (As in the strategy used by animal rights radicals against anyone who disagrees with them, just as you are doing here?) so you can make money of your farm and your breeding. (Since when is trying to make an honest living in our capitalist way of life a bad thing? You assume that anyone making a living from animals is a bad thing?). You're threatened and rightly so. (I'm deeply concerned about violations of HUMAN civil rights by animal rights radicals--especially HSUS). I AM an animal welfare professional and I support HSUS and the ASPCA." (You're fooling yourself, but that's your right. You clearly espouse the radical animal rights agenda. One common strategy is to intentionally blur the difference between welfare/rights)
The HSUS advocates for the humane treatment of all animals, including wildlife, animals raised for food, and animals used in research. All it takes is a quick review of our position statements (at humanesociety.org under "About Us") to recognize that we believe strongly in working within the current system to effect sensible and reasonable improvements for animal welfare.
The HSUS not a parent organization to local shelters. We do, however, provide support in terms of training and professional development, targeted grants, and other resources. We also work closely with shelters on large-scale animal cruelty cases, often involving puppy mills, hoarding situations, and dogfighting busts. The recent rescue of 80 neglected horses in Cannon County, Tennessee is a great example of this type of partnership.
Sorry, Hillary, there is nothing "sensible and reasonable" about your employer, HSUS. Your employer is a highly controversial, private, political organization that seeks to impose its radical view of "animal rights" on Americans. Your employer deals in political spin, emotion, and fear. Your employer does not deal in science and sustainable facts.
As someone who worked at a local animal shelter, I can tell you that the laws pushed by HSUS help punish those who commit cruelty to animals. That's something local shelters can't do, and you need a big national group to do it.
The only ones blurring the line between Animal Welfare and Animal Rights, are the people who keep trying to say HSUS is PETA (which is a fallacy). We make it clear where we stand on issues, and our overall agenda is clear: We want to stop cruelty.
Humane doesn't just apply to dogs and cats, it should apply to all animals. Regardless of what you eat, it shouldn't be too much to ask that animals be treated humanely - both animals used for food and companion animals.
Sorry HumaneSarah, if HSUS and PETA are not basically the same beast only with HSUS in a suit and tie, why have so many of their current employees come from PETA or other, similar, more radical animal rights groups. Can you say John (J.P.) Goodwin and Miyun Park?
We have over 450 employees - people change jobs all the time, (especially when they are young....). That's what makes the HSUS so great, we have people from all different backgrounds with totally different viewpoints, so we can look at issues from all angles. Personally, I think it's good to have a diverse group of employees.
HumaneSarah says "We (HSUS) want to stop cruelty." Sure you do, by ending animal ownership and use. HSUS uses the law--legislation--as a weapon to force their views. The legislation pushed by HSUS makes owning an animal increasingly expensive, difficult, and undesirable for pet owners, farmers, scientists and zoos. The legislation pushed by HSUS crosses a dangerous line between "malum in se" (actions that are wrong/illegal in and of themselves) and "malum prohibitum" (actions that were previously legal, but become illegal due to government action/legislation). Scary stuff.
What HSUS does.... Embarking on a million dollar ad campaign to increase pet adoptions, which would increase pet ownership. Providing resources to dog owners to help them work on common training issues such as housetraining etc. Encouraging people to either adopt or purchase from responsible breeders. Allowing staff to bring their dogs to work, and helping other workplaces start "dogs in the workplace policies."
Stronger laws in place to stop dog fighting, cock fighting, and make it possible for animals raised for food to be able to turn around and stretch their limbs.
Again, we are out to stop cruelty to animals. Why defend cruelty when you can work to end it!
The ASPCA Sarah MacLachlan ad is fraud; it says your money will go towards rescuing animals from their abusers, providing shelter, food, medical care and love. It does not say that the ASPCA's shelter budget is merely $6 MM and this ad raised $60 MM in one year alone. So where did the other $54 MM go?
Interested - It goes to over-inflated salaries, lobbyists, public relations firms, and is reinvested to earn even more money for these activities. Just like HSUS and PETA, they are in the business, first and foremost, of making money. I would encourage the citizens of every state where HSUS is trying to start ballot initiatives, take a good long look at what HSUS is proposing. Don't just read the HSUS press releases and decide it is great legislation. Educate yourself before you take the plunge behind the largest animal rights group in the country.
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