It started with a bottle of wine.
Last week, the U.S. arm of Australian wine company Yellow Tail created its "Tails for Tails" program, the aim of which was to aid in pet rescue. Through this program, Yellow Tail pledged to donate $100,000 to the Humane Society of the United States to help suffering puppies and kitties everywhere.
The result, however, has not been what the company wanted. There was an almost instant cry of outrage across the Internet, and Yellow Tail was inundated with angry e-mails. Facebook.com groups began popping up, demanding a national boycott. It would seem that, like many other well-meaning people across the United States, Yellow Tail had made a mistake.
The name, Humane Society of the United States, makes one think of animal shelters and pet rescues and people coming to the aid of abused and suffering animals. This is what inspires millions of Americans to donate their hard-earned money to the Humane Society, but, unfortunately, this is not the reality.
The reality is, the Humane Society is an extreme animal rights group, much like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which calls for the end of all hunting, fishing, farming, pet ownership and the existence of domesticated animals. Wayne Pacelle, president of the society, said, "One generation and out. We have no problem with the extinction of domestic animals."
J.P. Goodwin, a Humane Society spokesman and former member of the known terrorist group Animal Liberation Front said, "My goal is the abolition of all animal agriculture."
No word on what he plans to eat.
Not only that, but the society doesn't actually run or contribute to any actual humane societies. According to its Web site, "The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is not affiliated with, nor is it a parent organization for, local humane societies, animal shelters or animal care and control agencies. The HSUS does not operate or have direct control over any animal shelter."
Does it sound like the society plans to save the puppies and kitties to you?
Of the more than $206 million in assets the Humane Society reported to the federal government last year, only $450,000 went to organizations that actually work with animals. The rest was spent on lobbying, salaries, fundraisers and producing those heart-wrenching commercials that prompt hard-working Americans to open their wallets.
The Humane Society is a fraud, as Yellow Tail has learned the hard way. And while the company still intends to honor its pledge, Yellow Tail has since announced the money has been earmarked for use in animal rescue only.
It is time that the Humane Society is exposed for what it is: an extremist group with an agenda and no interest in the welfare of domestic animals. We can all agree we must do the best we can by the animals that we care for. We can all agree animal abuse and exploitation should be prevented. But these goals are not the goals of the Humane Society, and the donations going to them would be better spent on your local animal shelter, where the money might do some good.
- Jessica Hensley is a senior in political science. Please send comments to opinion@spub.ksu.edu.
is a member of the 
27 comments
We focus on treating all animals humanely, including farm animals For example, our organization has been a big proponent of cage-free eggs and we've worked to expand this market (I mean seriously, if Walmart, the world's leading price cut can switch to cage-free eggs, why can't everyone?
For anyone with questions about our factory farming campaign and our approach to this issue, check out Wayne Pacelle's interview on AgriTalk Radio from last June: bovinevetonline.com/directories.asp?pgID=678&ed_id=5203.
The HSUS is a corrupt SHAM.
Your so called facts are overly intertwined with your individual opinions which make for a very biased and radical representation of people and events. Although you have your groupies who cheer you on, you won't get very far in the 'real' world with this kind of extremism except perhaps Fox News where the video splicing and audio dubbing to alter the facts is an everyday occurrence. Perhaps this is your role model since your style of writing is not too far off. If you truly wanted to present a fair and balanced report you would done your research like the 'professionals' do and discovered so much more about what HSUS does than you reported but instead you chose the radical 'tea party' ala Glenn Beck approach.
So kudos to you, you've been indoctrinated into the right wing, made up reality of extremism!
Remember, everything you post on the internet will stay with you for a lifetime......
-Around $20 million on “campaigns, legislation, and litigation"
-Over $86 million collected in contributions
-Spent more than $24 million on fundraising, including $4 million on professional fundraisers.
-$30.9 million in salaries, wages, and other employee compensationThis is a good quote from the Center of Consumer Freedom: "Think about it: 28 cents of every dollar contributed to HSUS goes back out the door to raise more money. HSUS even paid a single “lockbox” company more than $4.2 million to count and process its cash hauls." - www.consumerfreedom.orgHSUS is riding on the word, "humane" to deceive consumers that their money is going to save that cute puppy or kitty. Thank you, Ms. Hensley, for helping to define the disaster that HSUS is setting out to destroy for animal agriculture, and for informing students on what HSUS is REALLY doing with their money. Another great website is HumaneWatch.org.