The Humane Society of the United States Hurts Pets

Every year, millions of dogs and cats are euthanized. Who’s hindering progress by denying resources to shelters? The Humane Society of the United States.

Despite its name, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is not affiliated with local humane societies and does not run any pet shelters.

HSUS deceives pet lovers by running ads that show abandoned and abused dogs and cats, yet it gives only 1 percent of the money it raises to pet shelters, according to its own tax returns.

Shelter professionals agree that there is a lot of confusion regarding national animal charities' level of support for local animal shelters. In fact, a poll of animal shelter professionals found that 71% percent believe it “misleads people into thinking it is associated with local animal shelters.”

Even HSUS donors feel deceived once they learn the truth.

Where does the money go? To fund a pension plan. To employ dozens of lawyers. According to one watchdog, 46 percent of HSUS’s budget is overhead, while the American Institute for Philanthropy calculates that HSUS spends as little as half of its budget on programs—earning HSUS a “D” grade.

Just as many people “buy local,” please give local and support a pet shelter near you. Your help could be as simple as donating time, money, or supplies such as towels and blankets. But everyone can help by spreading the “give local” message to their friends and family.