Change: HSUS, the time is now
A few times now I have found myself writing pleas in the form of blogs or emails to HSUS, begging them to provide some leadership or change some nonsensical stand they have taken.
Why do I care?
While many of HSUS’ regressive policies are harming companion animals and excusing poorly performing shelters and even dooming animals to death, I support some of their other activities on behalf of animals. But it’s very hard for me to get excited about the good work they may be doing in one area while they utterly destroy my confidence in another area. So I continue to write and express my frustrations (and sometimes it even works).
This time around, the frustration about HSUS’ policy towards fighting dogs is rising up like a tidal wave with not just the regular pit bull bloggers expressing their fury but the blogs, emails, comments and forum postings of every day pet lovers as well.
HSUS knows that the time to act is now. They are drafting a policy on pit bulls (a little late?). As reported by the Sula Foundation on NoLa.com
I asked HSUS what, specifically, their policy is regarding pit bulls. They told me they were drafting a statement as we spoke. (Later in the day, at 5pm, someone else I know called, independent of me, and was told they were still working on it.) But in my conversation with their representative, I was told several contradictory things: they favored euthanasia because law enforcement would be reluctant to conduct raids if the dogs were required to be evaluated; the breeder bragged about his dog’s “gameness” and game dogs can never be trusted (this is, in fact, not true); street-bred dogs are more readily rehabilitated (again, not true); and, most incredibly, they claimed that the Vick dogs were easy to rehab because the breeders sold their worst (i.e., least game) dogs to Vick. I told them I would trust a temperament test before the word of a breeder.
This is a big moment. Those of you in the dog world may not be aware that HSUS was once vehemently opposed to TNR, a non-lethal management of feral cats. They only changed their policy in support of TNR in 2006 and then revised it further as advocates urged changes. Now they are in strong support of TNR and are doing great work in that area.
To use a tired cliche - Some of my best friends are HSUS employees! I had the pleasure recently of getting a look at a pilot project for spay/neuter that was mind blowingly on target and is proving its effectiveness at this moment. That project, discarded myth and rumor and relied on expert research to reach pet owners with a message they understand.
Let’s hope the HSUS discards myth and tired rumor about pit bulls and relies on facts and expert advice to develop a new policy that is truly humane.
That’s the HSUS that I support and my fingers are crossed that we WILL see more of it when this pit bull policy statement comes out.
5 Responses to “Change: HSUS, the time is now”
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You speak to my own conflicting thougths and feelings about the work HSUS does, Sue. That’s why I do think it is worth the efforts on our parts to communicate with this powerful group on those areas where their policies or position statements do not relfect what is best for our companion animals. But, more and more, I am looking to support, empower, and help those groups that do good work overall grow so that they can become a place the average person goes to for information and leadership.
The spay/neuter pilot project is fantastic. I would use it myself in a heartbeat, each and every component is well thought out.
Like an abusive relationship - when things are great, wow they’re great. When things are bad - they are oh so bad. Leaves you thinking, how can this relationship go on?
And I really do know many fabulous and amazing, compassionate, hard working people who work at HSUS. They are my colleagues in some cases and I love working with them.
It’s a pickle.
Only a fool would try and bargain or even think to work with anything HSUS says. Dancing with the devil is not a good idea. If you think for one moment that HSUS is about saving animals, you are very very wrong. HSUS has fooled way too many people, including welfarists. HSUS is about fooling people and misleading with their $$$. HSUS has fooled you and you don’t even know it. HSUS advocates to kill shelter animals 72 hr after they arrive in shelters.Oh, it’s not printed on their website. They tell the govt to outlaw all reptiles and birds as pets. They are trying to outlaw all large snakes in FL.Don’t allow your compassion for animals to be fooled by HSUS media actions or $$. HSUS was against both offsite adoptions/rescues. HSUS pushed laws in KY where you need to give written permission when you go on vacation/own an unaltered dog. come on folks. Wise up.
Here’s just a reposted comment I made on the same topic at petconnection. That’s my POV and I’m sticking to it:
HSUS used to take a very strong stance against feral cat advocacy to the point of extermination. Most people were shocked to find out that, if they were looking to prevent the destruction of cats in their neighborhoods and gave HSUS a call, HSUS took the side of the exterminators. Boy were they sorry they called. Now HSUS was all up in their business, writing letters to their local governments, claiming what they were attempting to do was wrong. Very wrong.
Feral cat people were shocked much in the same way that dog lovers are now shocked that HSUS is taking the same extermination stand on pit bulls who have been bred for fighting purposes.
It was that shock and anger at policies that were so antithetical to the purported mission of HSUS that eventually convinced HSUS to change. It was only recently and it was a painfully slow process that is probably still to this day having a ripple effect throughout the organization as competing philosophies battle for their own policy turf.
Advocates were never seeking for HSUS to become the banner waving standard bearer for feral cats. What they wanted was for them to get the hell out of the way and stop testifying to municipalities and writing official letters of condemnation regarding feral cat projects. That objective was accomplished and more.
Much in the same way, I doubt any pit bull advocacy group expects or insists that HSUS take the lead and wave the pit bull banner. But for dog’s sake they want them to get the hell out of the business of condemning the very animals they claimed to have saved. Testifying in a courtroom that the dogs should be killed is a mirror reflection of HSUS’ previous feral cat extermination policy.
I’m certain that they can and will change.
I agree, Sue. We have to always remember that to the average person and lawmaker, HSUS is the organization they turn to for animal advice, and for them to simply change a position statement and “get out of the way”, as you say, is enough to clear the path for others to do the work, such is the case for TNR. It also helps others follow, such as NACA, etc.
It was good news to hear that the change is in the works and that a meeting of the minds is about to take place in Las Vegas in April with the Best Friends coalition.
This week, I have been on the phone calling all the hotels/motels/rentals in the area to list all pet-friendly places in my animal resources booklet. It is sad to see how many average people still think there are “vicious breeds” and ban them. Even on the military post where I work, all of the strong breeds are banned.
With HSUS being more of a balanced voice of reason, we can start to slowly break down these prejudices and barriers.