HumaneWatch.org, a project of the Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF), aired a commercial at the beginning of the Super Bowl this Sunday highlighting the deceptive fundraising practices of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).
The ad criticizes HSUS’s duplicitous fundraising tactics: The vast majority of animals in its fundraising commercials are dogs and cats, yet less than one percent of the money HSUS raises from the public goes to local, hands-on pet shelters. In the ad, Max the dog exclaims this is “PAW-thetic!” Max also points to HSUS’s “D” charity rating from the American Institute of Philanthropy, advising viewers that “to help pet shelters, make sure you give to your local animal shelter, not HSUS.”
“Most viewers will be bowled over this Sunday to find out the Humane Society of the United States doesn’t operate as a pet shelter umbrella group,” said CCF Senior Research Analyst J. Justin Wilson. “HSUS purposely uses emotionally manipulative ads featuring sad-looking dogs and cats in cages, yet it gives just one penny of every dollar it raises to hands-on local pet shelters.”
According to recent public polling performed by ORC International, 71 percent of Americans mistakenly believe that the Humane Society of the United States is a pet shelter umbrella group and 68 percent wrongly believe that HSUS gives most of its money to local pet shelters.
“HSUS shared less than one percent of its $127 million budget with pet sheltering organizations in 2011. In the same year, the animal liberation group spent nearly $50 million on fundraising-related expenses, which is 100 times more than it did on grants to support shelter aid, and socked $2.4 million away into its pension plan,” continued Wilson. “If viewers want their contributions to aid cats and dogs in their community they should give directly to local pet shelters instead of inadvertently bankrolling HSUS’s twisted PETA-style animal agenda.”
View the ad here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8ZaaJSJFcA
