Animal Rights or Human Responsibility (AR-HR)

“Perception is Reality”

Its a phrase frequently tossed around in media, communications and especially in advertising.  Its also a concept that the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has previously managed to leverage at an unprecedented level.  The overall public perception of the Humane Society of the United States often different dramatically from the actual activities of the HSUS.  Although the cracks in the HSUS shell have been around for a long time, but they seem to be growing more noticeable as the disparities between perception and reality grow.

A recent example can be seen in the title of a recent blog article by the HSUS CEO Wayne Pacelle, “Our Very Own SWAT Team” discussing “investigative work by HSUS staff”.  One of the prime examples cited in this article pertains to a May 27 raid on a location breeding pure white American Eskimo dogs with conditions reported as “rusty pens caked with feces” and “of the dogs suffered from malnutrition, urine burns and overgrown claws”   Now, if you read these articles, you’ve probably stepped in dog poop at least once in your life and are familiar with (a) the odor and (b) the difficulty of removal from clothing/shoes and the staining.  So, ask yourself while looking at the slide-shows here and here, “What color are the dogs’ feet & fur?“  Its a little question but important, especially in light of a news article declaring, “All of the dogs will need  some medical care but some will need extensive treatment, Taylor said. All also need extensive cleaning.  Officials said some of the dogs suffered from malnutrition, urine burns and overgrown claws.”  I’ve looked at the photos myself.  Although the kennels are certainly not fancy (to say the least), the white dogs are all WHITE.   How do you have white dogs with white feet coming out of feces & urine soaked kennels? It’s simple, you don’t.   How often do you see people handling feces and urine-soaked dogs with shirts that remain clean and dry?  You don’t

Another example comes from HSUS CEO Wayne Pacelle’s blog, where the iron fist under the velvet glove becomes clearly visible when talking about ”The HSUS, which is the object of sustained attacks, caricatures, and mis-characterizations by people who inhabit the domains of cockfighting, puppy mills, horse slaughter, trophy hunting, trapping, fur fashion, animal agribusiness, commercial whaling, and other animal exploitation industries.”   Its a disturbing statement when you look at the fact that the CEO of the HSUS refers to animal agribusiness in the same category as other industries whose eradication has been made a part of the HSUS mission.  Do you equate egg & chicken farmers with cock-fighting?  Now examine the inclusion of “puppy mills” in the light of the 2007 HSUS statement regarding “puppy mill” numbers in Virginia, “Commercial dog breeders in Virginia number nearly 1,000″ yet the actual number of commercial kennels was in the range of 22 according to USDA records. 

And what about the HSUS comments on the activities of HSUS State Directors, “Our state directors give us a leg up in learning of crisis situations and then allowing us to coordinate with local law enforcement agencies and local and national animal welfare groups,”  a statement substantially contradicted by interview and investigative information involving the HSUS GA State director in the WSB-TV report that HSUS is strongly suspected to have had forced off the air, by copies of email from the HSUS Illinois State Director and by written report from a NY HSUS meeting involving the NY State Director.  These are just three examples of the overt involvement of HSUS State directors in political and legislative activity, not in animal assistance.  There are significantly more.

Public perception is not the HSUS reality.  In the next article, I will look at further ways the HSUS tries to manipulate public perception and prevent evidence of its tactics from rising to greater awareness in the general public.

Copyright 2009 by Erica Saunders   http://AR-HR.com
All rights reserved