I understand the frustration; but isn’t the main goal for the money to go towards the animals? All over?

Well, not to be a nit-picker, but I don’t see how any money going to humane farm efforts can be construed as a bad thing, esp. in rural states.

J. Bran and Alexandra, what David is too polite to state is that the vast majority of the H$U$‘s money goes either to salaries and pension funds for its own staff of 30-odd lawyers and hundreds of flunkies; or to legislation specifically designed to slowly but surely criminalize all human contact with animals, from having an omelette for breakfast to keeping a pet.

The H$U$ doesn’t give one fat damn about ANY animals, and views DOMESTIC animals as the breathing version of the GMO produce they so love to demonize. In fact, they want all domestic animals extinct. Wacky Wayne Pacelle has said so; on no uncertain terms; on several occasions, as have several other Imams of the Veganist Jihad.

What the two of you need to understand is the H$U$ is the propaganda arm for a group of religious zealots whose sole goal is forcibly converting the entire world to Veganism through misinformation, terrorism, lies, propaganda, and draconian laws.

THAT is why people who actually care about animals, (and humans, and human rights), want them exposed as the fanatic frauds they truly are.

David, you forgot to mention that a BIG reason that so much money went to Louisiana after Katrina is that the State Attorney started an investigation into where all the money that HSUS gained during Katrina, some $34 million, went to.  To appease the State and get the investigation dropped, HSUS agreed to put up money ($600,000) to build a new shelter.  So, big deal that they spent $2.whatever million in LA after Katrina….where the h—- is the other $31 million that they factory fundraised off the backs of all the animals and their poor owners???

I donate on a monthly basis to the HSUS. I want my dollars ($25 a month) to also focus on farm animals. Some of them live a horrible life until they are sent to slaughter. Actually, after what’s been in the news in Ohio about some dairy farms, I’m seriously considering becoming a vegatarian (have already gone online to find vegatarian diets). Dogs and cats aren’t the only animals that need help regarding abuse and neglect.

@David—-30-40% sounds about right.  The rest was probably an “overhead” charge for fundraisng costs, Pacelle et.al. salaries, the big office building, pensions, Pacelle’s car, etc.

Rhonda, get out to some of your locally dairy’s and see for yourself how they are treated. If your ever in Indiana I highly recommend a tour throught Fair Oaks Farm. Those cows are treated better then alot of people. If you see a video of someone who abuses their kid do you just assume all patents abuse their kids? Thats not logical. Yes HSUS agenda will go after bad people but at what cost…All the good people farmers and ranchers will go down with them.

Another point, Rhonda: There is a growing body of evidence that a large number of the H$U$‘s “farm animal abuse” porn videos are either staged for the cameras, or pieced together out of archival footage shot in other countries in the ‘60’s, ‘70’s and ‘80’s.

Do local animals in your area a favor: Donate to LOCAL animal-welfare charities. That way, your $25 a month will go to helping actual animals, rather than into the H$U$‘s pension or lobbying funds.

I wasn’t just talking about Dairy cows, it was an example. I don’t think all farmers treat their livestock badly but a lot do. There aren’t sufficient laws to protect most animals, companion animals or livestock.

I know that not every cent I donate goes directly towards helping animals, that goes for every charity but I like to think that I am helping to end suffering throughout the country not just locally.

I considered donating to the ASPCA but they only work within the city of New York or surrounding areas. I live in Ohio so my donation wouldn’t be a benefit to any of the other animals that may need it so that’s why I chose the HSUS.

It is important to understand that HSUS’s goal is not primarily to fund local shelters.  Instead, they focus on animal cruelty problems that local shelters are not capable of tackling.

Louise, their primary goal, as repeatedly stated by Wacky Wayne and other like-minded nutsos, is the total criminalization of all human contact with animals. They don’t care about animals. They particularly don’t care about domestic animals. In fact, about the only life-forms they hate more than domestic animals are human women.

They have clearly snowed a lot of well-meaning simps into believing their propaganda and lies, but the truth will out, and does nearly every time Wacky Wayne, Kelly “hog-boy” Brownell, or one of their fellow-travellers opens his/her mouth.

The ASPCA is backing an initiative on preventing cruelty on Ohio farms….they suggest visiting Ohioans for Humane Farms

Sorry Rhonda, but animals are only seeing 12.5 cents of your $25 monthly donation to HSUS.  The rest goes to execs & lawyers & lobbyists.  Americas farmers take great pride in producing milk, meat & eggs for you.  Tour a local farm & see for yourself.

To Rhonda and Louise,
First of all, I also live in Ohio and I can tell you truthfully that HSUS is nothing more than PETA or MFA packaged in a smooth talking person. There are always two sides to a story and you two are only hearing one side of it.
Also Rhonda, what you saw in that video is NOT the norm for any farm with livestock. There are so many scenes that I could prove that a farmer or non-farmer would never do.  You have never stepped foot on a real dairy or been to a real farm if you believe that video is the norm for farmers.  People like you two need to stop believing activists who would prefer that you two would NOT be allowed to a cat or dog and start listening to the REAL FARMERS of this country. I would like to invite you to see my farm. I raise meat goats and steers and grain to help feed this world.  Please take your blinders off and see the HSUS,Ohioans for Humane Farms and the other activists for who they are.  They want to control what,how,when,where and the cost of your food and clothing. That does not sound like they are giving us too many choices in our lives.

I have been in many meetings with HSUS reps (including Wayne Pacelle).  I DO NOT like the way they do business… at all.
One meeting I remember in particular re farm animal welfare was when Wayne Pacelle ate a vegan box lunch at the same time he said HSUS supports animal agriculture.  I knew the jig was up from that point on… he continued to spew the typical talking points.
By the end of the meeting, group representatives were advised by Wayne Pacelle to compromise with HSUS or they would run a ballot initiative.  Basically saying “cooperate or else”.  CO compromised.  I am very happy to see what is happening in OH!
The GOOD animal agriculture does for society far outweighs the good HSUS does.  In my opinion, HSUS does more net harm than good to our society.
It is easy to be complacent or do wrong, it’s hard to do good.  The right thing to do is fight the HSUS animal rights machine as difficult as it may be.  After all, we have a hungry world to feed, with or without HSUS.

I have a farm in Nebraska. I have 60 acres, a horse, and am raising cattle.  I have two cows that just gave birth to two bull calves, and a young bull I purchased for breeding polled (non-horned) calves. Know what will happen to my young calves? They will be fed, turned out to pasture with their mamas, and at 6 months of age be ‘banded’ (have their scrotums rubber-banded) - humanely cutting off the blood supply and turning them into steers. At 18 months they will be taken to the processor and slaughtered quickly and humanely, and turned into beef for my and other tables. These are the purposes of cattle - the cows we have are milked and their produce is turned into butter and cheese. My chickens produce eggs as well as fine organic chicken meat as well. Their waste is recycled into my garden for my produce - no artificial fertilizer here! (Corn especially loves chicken waste!)  The next time you lament about the horrors of animal husbandry, try not to do it while eating - because practically everything you eat depends on animal production, ESPECIALLY if you eat “organically”.

To those people that say that farmers abuse their animals…how about using a little logic.  Stressed or abused cows will not produce milk, so if a dairy farmer is abusing the cows, he isn’t going to have any product to sell.  And if a farmer who raises livestock for meat abuses their animals, the quality of meat goes down and they lose money.  It is advantageous for farmers to treat their animals well.

I’m not saying that ALL farmers don’t abuse their animals because I’m sure some do…I’m saying to look at it logically.  Go around to farms around your area and ask to tour their property and explain things to you before you believe a multi-million dollar machine that shows horrible images in ads on TV to make you feel guilty and donate money.  Not everything is as it seems.

I just want to be sure your readers know that the local humane society shelters are not necessarily affiliated with the national organization. That is the case with the Capitol Area Humane Society in Lansing, Michigan and is probably true with most others. We showed your ad to them, which they had not seen before. They said they were NOT associated with the national group.

The point here is that people should not hesitate to donate to their local Humane Societies. Even though they share the name, they do not share their liabilities. Donating to the local, stays with the local.

What many people don’t understand about animal agriculture is that cruelty to animals is not a benefit for us. I live and work on a 2800 sow farm, and as with all large livestock producers, we try to make a living off of raising animals.

Another thing many misinformed people don’t understand is that stressed animals don’t produce as well. Even up to the point of killing the animal, the amount of stress the animal receives effects the quality of the meat. Therefore, it is to every livestock producers advantage to raise the animals in a calm and non-violent environment. It literally pays to do so.

What the HSUS tries to do is make the general population think that these livestock producers only have animals to abuse them. The fact is that livestock producers treat their animals well and are just trying to make a living, which is getting more difficult with radical animal rights groups.

It is nutritional fact that people do not need meat and dairy to be healthy. Since I went vegan I have lost weight for the first time without being hungry.  Pigs have an IQ equivalent to a lot of dogs, and you see how smart some of them are. Pig farms are cruel. You pig farmers must really be desensitized because of working in this environment for so long. You know the old saying, “you been in the henhouse too long to smell the feces (I cannot write the other word). ”  I would shudder to think what your idea of cruel is.

The disturbing facts of the matter are that factory farming with its large US Government federal subsidies has largely and ruthlessly destroyed and replaced the “family” farmer.

BADKarma: I agree with Everything you’ve said, however I do want to point out that your “flowery” language of “nutso” “Wacky” and other emotionally charged stuff can turn off the people who need to take heart of your message the most.  Please take this as constructive criticism only!  =)  I also abhor H$US, so please know I AM with You!

How come the ASPCA in New York City gets sooooooo much money($280,000) and they don’t do anything???????

Enquiring minds need to know.
Mary Verbeck Pomeroy
Central NYS - fatalistic armour

Look at the larger picture.  HSUS participates in flooding us with foreign mass imports to cover up that so many US breeders are being hounded out of business.  New England shelters and some of those in Canada are routinely filled with dogs from abroad.  In that respect HSUS and its clones are creating foreign mills of dogs.  Look at the more scary part of the picture of how HSUS legislation is putting US farmers out of business and helping send US farm animal and poultry production abroad.  Idaho recently passed a senate bill restricting egg farms to housing 25,000 hens.  China our favored trading partner has no such qualms and routinely is fast constructing houses to hold 3million hens each.  What part of unAmerican, unpatriotic, and foolish is it we can’t understand when we allow groups of propagandists to force our food and food security outside of America’s borders?

I think people really need to wake up and look at facts.
@Kathy-have you ever asked a pig farmer why pigs have to be contained that way? Well I’ll tell you…because they could harm/kill each other if they ever got the taste of blood. They are omnivorves and do not hesitate to eat their “friends.” Litter mates have to have their needle teeth and tails docked for this exact reason—if one starts chewing on its sibling, it could potentially eat it. Obviously it’s not a very good life for the pigs if they’re just left to be pigs and have the stress of being on the low end of the food chain so to speak. Not to mention the harm they can cause each other. Have you ever seen a full sized hog/sow? They can do some pretty serious damage with those tusks. So there’s something to think about.

What HSUS would not like you to question is the need for new laws regarding how animals are treated on farms and in homes.

You see, for the most part, the laws that already exist are perfectly fine.  They only need better enforcement.  Have you seen HSUS spending a lot of time lobbying for better enforcement? 

They don’t want better enforcement.  If existing laws were enforced, they would have no excuses, no ugly pictures, to use to try to pass new laws.  This is all about legislating companion animals and livestock out of existence—it’s not about protecting animals.

I am new to this site and wanted to say that I enjoyed reading it an will be back often. But I’m not new to HSUS they have been a hot topic in my rural community of Missouri for years.

This is cattle country around here where the cattle out number the humans 3 to 1. It’s nothing for farmers around here to have 100 to 400 head of cattle and like most people who raise cattle know it’s a full time job, but just like me we wouldn’t want to do anything else. Do something you love and you will never work a day in your life, and believe me if we didn’t love it we wouldn’t do it. We don’t get to keep banker’s hours, and we don’t close when there’s too much snow or ice on the ground.

And now we have a big radical company coming after us because it makes a lot of money when they do. In the long run all we have is our friends who love to farm no matter where they live. We don’t have millions of dollars to fight them off because if we were making millions the HSUS wouldn’t be fighting against us—they would be raising animals alongside us. Chew on that for awhile, because you know it’s true.

Some dear friends waited for years to be able to have a dog. They decided to adopt a puppy from a private agency that does rescue. They were interviewed and accepted and placed on the list of those who wanted young pups. Finally their pup was made available. She was SPAYED at the age of SIX WEEKS. The couple knew this was not something they would have chosen to do to a tiny puppy, but they wanted her.

I am of the belief that these extraorinarily early spays and neuters are abusive and can cause all sorts of developmental issues. Are these “rescue” organizations part and parcel of the HSUS agenda?

I am stunned. That’s all I can think of to say right now. Just stunned. Why on earth has this been allowed to go on so long? Where’s a good lynch-mob when you need one? (Figuratively speaking, of course…)

As a person that works for and with animal shelters and a wildlife rehabilitator, the best use of your contribution is to directly contribute to your LOCAL shelters. Why give your hard-earned money to a middle man? Shelters and rescues will take direct donations, and you can write off the donations just like any other charitable contribution. Leave out the HSUS, ASPCA, PETA….go directly to those who need the help. You can donate money, supplies, and time. These things are truly needed, as our shelter systems are already taxed for all the above-mentioned items.