tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684843.post6272921068449321989..comments2024-03-26T22:16:26.572-04:00Comments on Terrierman's Daily Dose: The Humane Society did WHAT?PBurnshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05781540805883519064noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684843.post-41369107770747160322010-06-19T07:50:48.981-04:002010-06-19T07:50:48.981-04:00Thanks Doubtful guest. I try to be fair, and I am...Thanks Doubtful guest. I try to be fair, and I am glad that at least some can see that I am trying. <br /><br />Heather makes an interesting point, and I suppose one more point could be made, which is that most of the local shelters do such a terrible job of placing dogs and cats (little or no outreach, no marketing, no working with rescues, etc.) that it is hard to imagine they have even TRIED to do a credible job of fundraising on their own. If they cannot market a dog or a cat in a world eager to acquire them, they are not very good at sales!<br /><br />What dogs need is someone to speak for them. Not to speak for fundraising (which mostly benefits fundraisers), not to speak for veterinarians (whose business is defect and disease), not to speak for cash-and-carry dog breeders, not to speak for faddist dog trainers, not to speak for the business plan of the AKC, and not to speak for the rosette chasers or the philophers (i.e. the vegetarians). The three biggest issues in the world of dogs are dog defect due to weird breed standards, dog disease exacerbated through inbreeding, and dog abandonment exacerbated because people think you buy dogs based on looks and that you choose them by flipping through an "all breed" book which has a lot of picture and about 100 words of text for every breed (of which 60 words are lies). Who really speaks for dogs? Not many, and not often.<br /><br />PatrickPBurnshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05781540805883519064noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684843.post-39131652996548036702010-06-19T00:13:32.415-04:002010-06-19T00:13:32.415-04:00HSUS isn't the only beneficiary of "confu...HSUS isn't the only beneficiary of "confusion" about the humane society name. When HSUS is all over the news media talking about puppy mills or dogfighting, or whatever, local humane societies benefit from that "confusion". It's a two way street.<br /><br />Frankly, I like HSUS because of the very fact that they don't run a shelter. Animal welfare needs a strong lobby arm, a strong campaign arm, and more. <br /><br />Sheltering animals is only one way to help animals. It is by no means the only way.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684843.post-22606104973958681382010-06-18T23:38:27.330-04:002010-06-18T23:38:27.330-04:00Patrick, this is why I admire your blog. I don'...Patrick, this is why I admire your blog. I don't agree with everything you write, and but I give you props for being fair.<br /><br />I am no fan of HSUS on the whole, but I agree that they do some things right. And you are correct that this article seems to be a step in the right direction. It certainly seems to divert from what the HSUS-haters tend to say: that HSUS wants to see the end of all breeding, and spay/neuter of everything.<br /><br />I think there is a balance to be found. I confess I never thought I'd see an article like this from them. And no, my surprise at the article will not make me run out and support them.<br /><br />But I do agree with some (if a minority) of the things they do. <br /><br />So congrats on being quoted, and thanks for being gracious.Mailey E. McLaughlin, M.Ed.https://www.blogger.com/profile/06433597895952071846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684843.post-7681390268578017522010-06-18T17:55:40.173-04:002010-06-18T17:55:40.173-04:00As most regular readers of this blog know, I know ...As most regular readers of this blog know, I know quite a bit about HSUS. They are, like many things, a mixed bag.<br /><br />On fundraising and how they spend their money, etc., see the link at the bottom of this post ("Who Speaks for Dogs?") and also type in "direct mail" or "HSUS" into the search engine. <br /><br />I do not think there are too many people who have written more on the evils of direct mail. HSUS is not alone in being addicted to this poison, but they are certainly one of the top offenders (though certainly not the only one).<br /><br />On policy questions, good people can disagree. I think HSUS is wrong on wild horses, for example, but I can make my case (and they can make theirs) without being too disagreeable. Science, history and experience are on my side, I would argue. Ditto with hunting, where HSUS is simply out to lunch for the most part.<br /><br />On local shelters, HSUS's main offense is in confusing the public that they are helping fund the locals, when they do not. The same can also be said about the ASPCA and PeTA, however. For more on dog shelter history, see "Beyond the Blue Solution of Dog Shelter Death" at >> http://terriermandotcom.blogspot.com/2007/10/beyond-blue-solution.html<br /><br />Having said all that, HSUS is right on some things, and does good work on others, and certainly has more public relations "throw weight" that the smaller "do good" outfits. <br /><br />Is the "bang" worth the buck in terms of donor dollars? <br /><br />No, but that is true for most direct mail driven organizations, including several I have worked for. If HSUS and the APSCA changed their names, I think a lot of confusion would end, but maintaining that confusion is, from what I can tell, part of their core business plan. <br /><br />Having said all this, let me swing it around to what HSUS is doing right. This article is a good example of that. "Click and treat," and maybe we will see a little more like it. HSUS can be moved, as the Pit Bull folks will tell you. Does it take heat for them to see the light? Yes, but (apparently) they can be moved and educated. Knowing that is Step One.<br /><br /><br />PatrickPBurnshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05781540805883519064noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684843.post-4736460249640507482010-06-18T15:28:41.210-04:002010-06-18T15:28:41.210-04:00Unfortunately, if one looks at the data, the HSUS ...Unfortunately, if one looks at the data, the HSUS does NOT provide funding for local rescues and humane societies (less than ten cents per dollar). To me, that doesn't support animals or animal welfare. They have large fund raisers, and a highly paid staff that gives them lots of public exposure, meanwhile the small, local shelters have no national funding to help the animals. <br /><br />Look at the Gulf disaster. They publish articles on how ready they are to help the animals, people donate out the wazoo, yet they haven't doe a damn thing to help, just sitting back reaping the benefits of gullible donors.<br /><br />All of this info is public record, all one has to do is look, so no, I'm not a troll. I just don't like to see the average person sucked in by smooth talking, when the 'little man' gets screwed.whisper_the_windhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15409292112360405250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684843.post-22708890141730902852010-06-18T11:37:52.774-04:002010-06-18T11:37:52.774-04:00Thank You for an intelligent well informed blog pi...Thank You for an intelligent well informed blog piece. HSUS is critical in the fight for animals!Stophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12067900008976134127noreply@blogger.com