Save the Lawyers! Only 19 Dollars a Month!

Perhaps you’ve seen the advertisements put out by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), which show mostly dogs and cats. Our analysis of HSUS fundraising ads that ran between January 2009 and September 2011, using data provided by the Campaign Media Analysis Group, showed that the lovable, furry critters made up 85 percent of the animals shown. However, HSUS gives less than one percent of its massive budget to local pet shelters—though its deceptive multimillion-dollar ad campaigns are surely a major reason that 71 percent of Americans believe that HSUS is a pet shelter umbrella group, according to national polling.

That got our video department wondering what an “honest” HSUS ad might look like. Given that HSUS has dozens of lawyers on staff and spends millions of dollars each year lobbying, we felt that people should know what their $19 per month actually funds. (Hint: PETA-like activism.) Watch:

We’ve also published a primer on HSUS entitled “9 Things You Didn’t Know About HSUS” that reminds readers of how HSUS gets poor marks from charity watchdogs, puts more money in its pension fund than it gives to local pet shelters, and has on staff a person who is a former “spokesman” for the FBI-designated “terrorist” group the Animal Liberation Front.

For more in-depth coverage on America’s richest animal-rights group, visit our sister site, HumaneWatch.org.