H$U$’s New Global Amba$$ador

Interesting news came across our monitor the other day: HSUS announced that music artist Ke$ha—yes, she actually has a dollar sign in her name—is the group’s first “global ambassador.”

We’ll let you decide what to make of Ke$ha’s suitability as an ambassador. Her views on humans and animals are somewhat unorthodox. Her Twitter feed probably fits the dictionary definition of “NSFW.” And with lyrics such as “brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack [Daniels],” the message of caring for yourself (much less animals) isn’t always visible.

But that’s neither here nor there. Music is all about showmanship, and the flashiest acts often sell the best. And that seems to be just what’s going on here—on both sides.

In its press release, HSUS invites people to check out Ke$ha’s Tickets-for-Charity entry. Essentially, Tickets-for-Charity sells tickets to concerts and other venues with a surcharge that is donated to the artist’s charity of choice. In this case, $10 from every purchase goes to HSUS’s international arm, Humane Society International.

$o Ke$ha $ell$ ticket$, and H$U$ get$ $ome dough a$ well. Ea$y to $ee the up$ide.

But as anybody who’s familiar with HSUS’s fundraising record knows, the money HSUS raises often goes right back out the door—to pay off fundraisers, or to simply raise more money. HSUS isn’t known as a “factory fundraiser” for nothing. In fact, very little of the money HSUS raises actually goes to pet shelters. And if the ticket donations go to Humane Society International, then the money may not even help a single pet in America.

At face value, it might make “cents” to join up with HSUS and get your picture taken with cute animals while softening the “bad-girl” image. But considering that HSUS is facing a racketeering lawsuit, multiple calls for federal investigations (including one from six sitting Congressmen), and a growing public backlash as people realize what a scam this so-called “Humane Society” is, it might not make sense to partner with a group whose public-image “stock” should be shorted.

Do Ke$ha’s PR handlers know this? Why don’t you ask them? There are loads of other, more deserving charities that she could promote to benefit animal welfare.

More Dogfighting in Philly? More Questions for HSUS

Early last week the Pennsylvania SPCA and Philadelphia police conducted three separate raids to bust up what officials called “the largest dogfighting ring they’ve ever seen.”

Watch a brief segment from the news coverage here, and then ask yourself a question: Has Michael Vick’s return to professional football as the Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback made dogfighting “cool” in Philly?

The evidence suggests an unflattering picture for the Humane Society of the United States (not affiliated with “humane society” pet shelters) and its CEO Wayne Pacelle, whose effort to rehabilitate Michael Vick’s public image following his prison term has been controversial (to put it mildly).

After Vick’s release, he partnered with HSUS for a speaking tour to criticize dogfighting, which—in Pacelle’s defense—may have seemed like a good idea at the time.

But the consequences speak for themselves. Compared with 2008, Pennsylvania SPCA animal fighting investigations tripled in 2009, the year Vick signed with the Eagles. Most of these were dogfighting-related cases in Philadelphia.

Trotting Michael Vick out like a trained pony is a far cry from actually doing something for the hands-on groups (like the Pennsylvania SPCA) that have to deal with the fallout from Vick’s public re-branding.

Perhaps “Bonding” with a dogfighting kingpin wasn’t such a humane idea.

Dharma Passes the Hat

On December 7 of last year, “Dharma and Greg” co-star Jenna Elfman “tweeted” a photo taken after she taped a new "give $19 a month" TV ad for the Humane Society of the United States. Elfman made a radio PSA for HSUS in 2001 and lent an image of her lips to an HSUS-branded postage stamp in 2008, but this was her first on-camera work for the animal rights organization. It reportedly began airing late last week.

Last night the video production company that shot this fundraising ad posted a press release about it, but the release was removed early this morning. (Here’s Google’s cache, and our screen-grab for posterity.) In addition to the Jenna Elfman ad, the release also linked to videos of two more spots that may or may not be running nationally: one narrated by Wayne Pacelle, and another showcasing three children. (Note: We can’t control how long these movie files will be available for viewing.)

The Jenna Elfman fundraising ad is the most interesting of three to us. Not because it’s fronted by an actress, but because we counted 44 live animals in this ad, and all but two are dogs and cats:

More after the jump.