Middlebury, Vermont - October 2, 2010
WCAX.com
The Addison County Humane Society says the number of animals in their care has doubled in recent years, and they are struggling financially to keep up. Officials say the economy is to blame, but a big fundraiser "Woofstock" was a big hit!
Tails were wagging at Woofstock today. About 75 dogs and their owners came out to support the Addison County Humane Society, and have a little fun. Many of the canines on hand were alumni of the ACHS donning bandanas as they roamed the recreation field. But many more critters remain at the shelter.
"When I got here three years ago we had about 85 animals. Right now we have 140 at our shelter and another 50 in foster care," said Vicki VanDenBurg of ACHS.
But while their numbers doubled, their budget did not.
"We do not receive any state or federal dollars. We do not receive any funding from any national organizations like The Humane Society of the United States or the ASPCA. We adopt an animal out for $100 and it costs us about $400 to care for that animal," said VanDenBurg. Read More
I thought this article was interesting because this local shelter made sure to mention that they receive no financial help from the HSUS. Here’s another shelter that struggles to make ends meet day after day while the HSUS continues to raise hundred’s of millions of dollars from people confused about what they do.
3 comments:
At Stop Humanewatch we also have testimonials from shelters directors who state that although they receive no funding from The Humane Society of the United States, that their role at the national level is "critical". Yes, that's the word they used - CRITICAL. HSUS concentrates at the root of the problem. Spay/neuter, massive adoption campaigns seen by millions, legislation aimed at puppy mills churning sick dogs that people can't afford to keep.
"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".
To: Stop Humanewatchers, Pacelle apologists (and angry John Dopp):
If HSUS's work is so critical at getting to the "root causes" of animal cruelty, why are the problems they have been working on getting worse?
1. Dogfighting arrests, impoundments and convictions are way down from a decade ago. Even after the Vick case - and despite the millions HSUS fraudulently raised "to shelter and care for Michael Vick's dogs" - dogfighting crime stats are down. (Source: Animal People News). The Wilkes County dogs died for this?
Grade: FAIL
2. Spay/Neuter: Until very recently, HSUS actively supported Mandatory Spay Neuter laws, which increase shelter killing. Now, under pressure from the legitimate animal welfare community, they are neutral - how brave.
HSUS claims to fund close to 40,000spay neuter surgeries for their annual Spay Day USA project. They do NOT. Spay Day was created and previously run by the Doris Day Animal League, which never lied about its role - and managed to help coordinate well over a hunded thousand surgeries a year. HSUS's Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association - using mostly volunteers and donated supplies - sterlizes just about 7,500 animals a year. My favorite shelter in Newark, New Jersey does better than that - and doesn't need to lie or exaggerate in its fundraising solicitations. National organizations that have provided meaningful financial support for Spay Neuter include Friends of Animals, North Shore Animal League and Alley Cat Allies. Grade: F for FAIL and fudging numbers.
3. Puppy Mills: Problems have gotten worse, HSUS crafted legislation hasn't addresed the problem (see "KC Dog Blog" for a Kansas City dog advocate's analysis of Pacelle's current Publicity/Fundraising/Legislative blitz in Missouri). Grade: F for FAIL and fakery.
4. Shelters: Whatever progress has been made in reducing the numbers of dogs and cats killed in shelters, it has come DESPITE HSUS's regressive killing paradigm. Countless lives have been saved because of people like Nathan Winograd, and caring shelter directors and rescuers all over the country. They all agree that REFORMING the HSUS would be "critical", though nearly impossible as long as Pacelle and his cronies are in charge. Mostly, they see HSUS less as an obstacle these days and more of an increasingly irrelevant embarassment. The "massive ad campaign" was funded by Maddie's Fund and the Ad Council. HSUS's role in the project was reduced due to its track record of fraud, scandals, and investigations.
Grade: N/A
Whatever the "root causes" of animal cruelty are, HSUS's solutions (new laws, bans, government regulations, Michael Vick speeches to kids...) haven't been effective. In many cases, they have exascerbated the problems they claim to address.
All the testimonials extracted from HSUS apologists won't change that ugly reality. Sorry.
If HSUS's work is so critical, why are the problems it focuses on getting worse instead of better? Dogfighting arrests, impoundments, and convictions are all down since the Michael Vick case. Will Vick's Humane Education speeches root out dogfighting?
HSUS has been fundraising off the puppy mill issue for two decades with little to show for it. A tiny, underfunded animal welfare group called Companion Animal Protection Society (caps-web.org) has done more to combat puppy mills than the $200 million HSUS.
Prop B won't solve the problem and might make it worse. Why not quietly fund Missouri's effective "Operation Bark Alert" program instead of spending $500,000 on activist lobbying and begging for $200,000 more this week?
How does Mandatory Spay Neuter, which HSUS has long supported, get at the root causes of overpopulation? MSN laws have always resulted in increased shelter killing. Why doesn't HSUS favor progressive legislation cracking down on abusive shelters? How about Oreo's Law?
Why does HSUS take credit for funding 40,000 Spay Day USA sterilizations that were actually paid for by local shelters, animal lovers, veterinarians, etc. Doris Day Animal League created Spay Day and was helping coordinate over 100,000 procedures a year before the "corporate combo" with HSUS. Why does HSUS turn everything it touches into a fundraising scheme and profit center?
The "massive adoption campaign" is funded by Maddies Fund and the Ad Council. HSUS's role is a small one, since their many 2009 fundraising scandals threatened to torpedo the whole project.
It is critical to root out the underlying causes of ethical problems at the HSUS and address them through public education, shaming, media exposure, and if necessary, legal intervention.
Won't you help?
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