HSUS President Wayne Pacelle responds to the HumaneWatch request for federal investigation:
The Center for Consumer Freedom’s latest diatribe against The Humane Society of the United States is off the mark – off by miles. (Feb. 9). We are a 58-year-old organization with 11 million members and constituents, and we have a proud and undisputable record of achievement.
Here are the facts: The HSUS is rated a 4-star charity (the highest possible) by Charity Navigator, approved by the Better Business Bureau for all 20 standards for charity accountability, voted by GuideStar’s Philanthropedia experts as the #1 high-impact animal protection group, and named by Worth Magazine as one of the 10 most fiscally responsible charities.
HSUS' financial statements, tax filings and other documents are available on our website, humanesociety.org, for the public to see exactly how The HSUS spends donor dollars. We have a set of priorities overseen by our elected national board and national council, consisting of 44 volunteer members all across the country.
The overwhelming share of our donations comes from rank-and-file Americans who care deeply about animal welfare and chose to donate to The HSUS because of our long record of effectiveness. Our mission statement – Celebrating Animals/Confronting Cruelty – describes our commitment to the welfare of farm animals, companion animals, wild animals and animals used in research. Anyone can visit our website and see for themselves the vast array of animals we help. Our logo contains images of 19 animals – not just dogs and cats, but also dolphins, pigs, raccoons, horses and other animals.
Agri-Pulse focused on criticism ginned up by this so-called CCF, a group created by notorious public relations hit man Rick Berman for no purpose except to attack public interest groups on behalf of undisclosed corporate clients. When Berman turns his PR trolls against the good name of The Humane Society of the United States, the reason is as clear as it is unsavory.
Wayne Pacelle
President & CEO
The Humane Society of the United States