Congress is debating whether a California law called Proposition 12 should dictate farming practices nationwide. What’s noteworthy is not only the law’s effect on national food prices but the identity of the organization puppeteering the campaign.
Most Americans would associate the group that led Proposition 12’s passage—and is lobbying against congressional action—with helping homeless cats and dogs, not advocating to restrict farming.
For years, the Humane Society of the United States—recently renamed Humane World of Animals—has run high-profile television commercials that tug on the heartstrings of America.
The spots often feature distressed cats and dogs in need of forever homes. The fundraising strategy has been a huge success, with the organization raising more than $150 million annually from generous animal lovers.
So why is such a group now spearheading a campaign to regulate how farmers raise livestock? Because helping homeless pets now appears to take a backseat to other priorities, despite its advertising.
The Humane Society of the United States leverages dial-tested imagery of cats and dogs to solicit a waterfall of donations that goes to support its broad range of activities—much of which has nothing to do with financially supporting local pet shelters.
The Humane Society of the United States is not affiliated with local humane societies, as many Americans would assume based on its name. And only one percent of its budget goes to support local pet shelters via financial grants, according to the latest available tax returns.
Participating in initiatives unrelated to pet shelters is nothing new for the organization. The involvement of the Humane Society of the United States in farming restrictions—like what is currently on trial in Congress—dates back years.
In 2008, the group backed Proposition 2 in California—only to push even more aggressive regulations in the form of Proposition 12 a decade later.
Should the Humane World of Animals focus on helping homeless pets instead of pushing vegan activism?
It’s evident the Humane Society of the United States is pushing an anti-meat agenda centered on farm animals and consumer diets.
But a vast majority would agree cats and dogs do not belong in the same category as livestock. Allowing donors to wrongly believe that the Humane Society of the United States’ activities is limited to supporting homeless cats and dogs at pet shelters is, at best, ethically ambiguous.
The organization argues it has a broader mandate. But the proof is in the pudding.
A nationwide poll found that 8 in 10 adults wrongly believed the Humane Society of the United States is an umbrella organization for local pet shelters. And nearly two-thirds of pet shelter operators say this name confusion leads to fewer donations that support local work.
The recent rebranding of the Humane Society of the United States to strip “society” from its name acknowledges as much.
When announcing the recent name change to Humane World for Animals, the organization noted the term “humane society” is “more associated with local animal shelters.” The admission is a day late and a buck short.
After years of shortchanging homeless cats and dogs, the group should revamp its pet shelter grant program. A good place to start would be distributing the nearly $400 million it has parked in investments to local pet shelters across the country. After all, much of the money was raised using their likeness.
There are plenty of legislative initiatives that could be pushed on Capitol Hill to help the millions of homeless pets in this country find forever homes. Using cats and dogs to fund vegan diet advocacy, however, is a bait-and-switch whose cynicism stands out—even in Washington.
The views expressed in this opinion article are those of their author and are not necessarily either shared or endorsed by the owners of this website. If you are interested in contributing an Op-Ed to The Western Journal, you can learn about our submission guidelines and process here.
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