Happy New Year!

It’s hard for us to believe, but last year at this time HumaneWatch was just an idea—one among many—into which we were considering pouring lots of time and energy. Today this project is strong, vital, and growing.

We (yes, we—for this is a team effort) are grateful for all the support and encouragement you’ve shown. Fully 207,000 of you have flocked to our eye-opening messages on Facebook. More than 1.15 million of you (unique visitors) have seen this website. And we get unsolicited e-mails every single day from many of you who say we’re giving voice to concerns you’ve had since long before we arrived.

Frankly, the experience has outstripped our most hopeful expectations.

In 2011, as in these last nine and one-half months, we’ll be constantly re-evaluating this website—trying new ideas, setting aside things that haven’t worked so well, and (of course) listening to your thoughts about where we should go from here.

Don’t feel shy about letting us hear from you. Unless the Humane Society of the United States starts consistently behaving ethically (or unless CEO Wayne Pacelle pledges to share at least 50% of HSUS’s funds with America’s underfunded pet shelters), we’ll be here, unpeeling HSUS’s onion one layer at a time.

It won’t always be pleasant. It won’t always be easy. Sometimes it will be downright heart-breaking. But someone has to do it, for the sake of the millions of animals whose only contact from HSUS is a perpetual cold-shoulder.

A Happy New Year to all!

With Every Good Wish,
The HumaneWatch Team