The Humane Society of the United States

It's sad to see that so many of the reviewers on Great Nonprofits don't understand what the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is and does! The local humane society in your community is a separate organization. Humane Society International (HSI)is a separate organization.

HSUS deals with "big picture" issues of animal abuse, neglect, dog fighting, hunting, and other policies within the US. They share "best practices" and support of all sorts with small welfare and advocacy groups across the US. They help local agencies investigage large cases; they help local agencies rescue massive cases of hoarding, abuse, neglect... One relatively new area of focus that makes me hopeful for companion animals is on how to create equity in accessing pet care, as vet costs skyrocket.

I have worked with and learned from their programs, and have great respect for HSUS. They work to maximize the impact of the funds donors give them in addressing the issues affecting animals across the US.

No nonprofit is perfect, but please learn more about the work a group does before you write a review of them.

Necesito que ayuden a un perrito que está sufriendo mucho por favor ayúdelo es un hermoso cachorro es un husky con los ojos azules de 3 años está en Shelter de nueva York dirección es 3320 Beltagh Ave wantagh Ny el se llama Eddie es muy hermoso ayúdelo

I found a kitten yesterday and I have called The humane society twice and left messages that was at 11:30 this morning they've never returned my call and not did the other agencies the other agencies I called.
All they want is your damn money and really I wonder if they do care about animals

WARNING TO THOSE FOSTERING OR WANTING TO FOSTER ANIMALS THROUGH THE HUMANE SOCIETY:

My wife was attacked by a dog over the weekend in Jacksonville, FL. The dog was being fostered for the holidays by a very nice lady. We went to meet him Saturday to potentially adopt because we wanted to add to our family and have a buddy for our dog. When the foster opened their door the dog attacked my wife. He was on a leash. He gave no warning. He just squeezed past the foster and attacked. After we left to go to the hospital the foster immediately took the dog back to the Humane Society. She was apologetic, very concerned for my wife, and stated if she had known the dog was aggressive she never would have fostered him and never would have let us come over to meet him.

The Humane Society on the other hand has been anything but concerned. Their attention and concern has been more for the dog instead of people. When asked what their plans are for the dog they stated they are assessing him. When asked if they were going to cover our out of pocket medical bills they said it was the fosters responsibility and not theirs because the foster signed a waiver. The Humane Society wants us to go after an individual who was doing them a favor instead of stepping up to the plate to help.

Well in the state of Florida the law states the owner is 100% responsible when a dog bites someone. I ask the Humane Society who owned the dog. They advised me they do. When I informed them of the law they back pedaled slightly and said to send them the bill and they would see if they could work something out. When I asked if they had liability insurance they would not answer my question and again said the foster signed a waiver. When I asked them to send me their evaluation forms/documentation for the dog they refused. When I asked for their insurance companies contact info they refused.

So be warned. If you foster an animal you know nothing about from the Humane Society and in good faith bring that animal into your home believing they have done their due diligence; THINK AGAIN. Because if something goes wrong they WILL try to push their responsibility back on you.

The Humane Society of the United States does so much for animals, it is quite mind-boggling! For almost any animal issue you can think of, HSUS has some program working towards their protection and care. From breaking up dog fights to shutting down puppy mills to exposing the horrors of factory farms to preventing animal cruelty through legislation, they work tirelessly to care for the creatures that do not have a voice. One of the best things about HSUS is that they are not extreme or radical - they are not trying to make the entire world vegan nor are they trying to get all hunting banned. They simply want all animals to be treated with a modicum of humanity and respect during their time on this planet. They provide hands-on care to hundreds of thousands of animals through their animal care centers across the nation, they provide vaccinations and spay/neutering for free to low-income pet owners, they rescue pets after natural disasters and they provide training and education to shelters, law enforcement and other animal handlers all over the country. The HSUS has had an impact on more animals than any other organization in the world and without them, millions of animals would no longer be on this earth. I am so grateful that these caring and compassionate people dedicate their lives to ensuring the protection, respect and care of the animals in this world. We need more people to donate their time and money to this incredible organization so that they can continue to make historical progress for animals. Thank you HSUS for all that you do - you are true heroes!

How does a 3 out of 5 star charity get "Top Rated" status for 2015? By posting a flood of scripted 5 star reviews during the designated time period. Here's the truth:

Any charity that sends over $55 million in just one year to Caribbean hedge funds - more than 35 percent of HSUS's budget for 2014 - is a scam. Any prospective donor needs only to read their latest tax return, page 38) for that shocking fact. And that makes over $107 million in tax free dollars sitting in the Cayman Island, all funneled there between 2012 and 2014.

Anyone thinking of working at HSUS, don't believe the HSUS scripted 5 star reviews below. Read the terrible comments from people who actually worked there - and some who are still stuck working there - on Glassdoor. HSUS is definitely not "top-rated" at that reality-based website.

I have seen first-hand the incredible impact The HSUS has had for animals all over the country (and the world through Humane Society International). They are an inclusive organization who works with people from all walks of life who care about animal protection issues - everything from spay and neuter issues, ending the use of gas chambers, banning bullhooks, protecting elephants and rhinos suffering from the ivory trade, working to ban the most egregious practices in the factory farming industry, increasing animal fighting penalties, protecting our country's horses, etc. (I could go on - the list of all of the issues they work on is extremely extensive). My family, friends and I love their good work and support their efforts. Thank you, HSUS!

I have stopped donating to this organization. They have paid $15 million of donated funds in a scandal associated with the Corrupt Organizations and Racketeering (RICO) suit. Wayne Pacelle, CEO, Mike Markarian, VP, John Lovvorn, VP have all been accused of illicit witness payments. The Charity Navigator has suspended it's rating of HSUS and recommends donors re-evaluate their donations.

If you want to know the truth about HSUS, just download their annual tax returns on Guidestar, then do the math yourself like I did. You don't have to be an accountant to figure out that LESS THAN ONE PERCENT of the money this organization receives each year goes to help shelter animals. You will see that the rest of the money is going in the pockets of executives, lobbyists, attorneys and employee pension funds, and of course to make those heartbreaking commercials showing the sad eyed puppies and kittens in shelters, with their paws reaching through their cages and making you believe that if you send money to HSUS, you will help save those little lives. If you review their tax returns, you will see that they do not have a shelter and they are not out saving shelter animals as they would like you to believe from their commercials. Read their Tax Returns and do the math ~ it is all there. Giving the impression that they save shelter pets is just a marketing angle devised to play on your emotions, break your heart, and make you reach for your check book. If you want to help shelter animals, donate to your local shelter or rescue group ~ they always need pet food, cat litter and help paying veterinary expenses. Sign up to be a volunteer, foster, or adopt a shelter pet and save a life.

The Humane Society of the United States does incredible work for all animals - from dogs to seals, elephants to pigs, and all living beings in between! I've been encouraging all of my friends and family to donate.

Statistics show that the HSUS only gives 1% of the publics donations to local pet shelters. They do some good, but donating directly to a shelter is more worth your time and money. Large groups like the HSUS do help, though smaller shelters and rescue groups are more efficient and thankful (knowing from personal experience). Donate to local groups instead!

Of all the organizations to protect animals, I see HSUS as the one with the most impact. They have a lot of support and they have a very practical approach. They're really getting it done, using moderate avenues. This is the one I choose to support with my time and money.

We have the power to build a new consensus, which rejects killing as a method for achieving results. And we can look forward to a time when the wholesale slaughter of animals in shelters is viewed as a cruel aberration of the past. We have a choice. We can fully, completely, and without reservation embrace No Kill as our future. Or we can continue to legitimize the two-pronged strategy of failure: adopt a few and kill the rest. It is a choice which history has thrown upon us. We are the generation that questioned the killing. We are the generation that has discovered how to stop it. Will we be the generation that does?

"Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. We can be that great generation."

The HSUS is simply the largest, most effective organization in the US working for real and meaningful positive change in our treatment of all other animals.

The Humane Society is the preeminent animal welfare organization in the world.

It is the primary target of the most wealthy anti-animal welfare organizations and ag groups. That in itself should tell you how well they do what they do.

I am a proud member and advocate for HSUS. I am very thankful to have them fighting for the animals. They do so many good things for all animals, and I look forward to helping them in the future.

First, people need to be aware that the HSUS is a LOBBYIST GROUP... They are strictly for Animal RIGHTS (Big difference than Animal Welfare). They donate less than 1% of their donations to the actual Humane Societies and other Shelters which is unacceptable considering their tear jerker commercials of dogs needing help. Also, it is very well documented that they do NOT support "Pit Bulls"... Any dog fighting raids they are a part of, they very vocally and to the Judge state clearly they want ALL the dogs destroyed including the new born puppies!! HSUS have proven to be no friend of the Pit Bulls by calling for their destruction! They called for ALL of Mike Vick's dogs to be killed! Fortunately for those Dogs, other Organizations stepped up to save the dogs! HSUS wants an end to all pet ownership. DONATE TO YOUR LOCAL HUMANE SOCIETIES and Rescues and other Local Organizations! They are NOT affiliated with the HSUS!!

I was very disappointed to find that money we donated for Katrina victims was largely "banked" by HSUS. They spent a very small portion of donations in LA and kept the lion's share for themselves. I now know that this is the way they operate, using a "bait & switch" method of fund raising , using tragedies to obtain money for bloated pensions, political donations and lobbying.

I have just read a lot of negative comments about Wayne Pacelle and The Humane Society of US. Only 1% of donations goes to shelters. Pacelle doesn't like animals. He was/is a supporter of Michael Vick. True or false?

If you want to help animals donate to your local no kill shelters. To learn more about where your money really goes when you donate to HSUS, visit http://www.humanewatch.org/

HSUS is an incredibly effective and strong animal welfare organization. It reaches members of the public from all sectors, and targets about every animal abuse imaginable. Though they help with on-the-ground work, the HSUS is also capable of fighting for animals in a very different arena: the government. They have helped to pass laws, bans, and ordinances that benefit animals and people alike. Rather than pick up the pieces, they hit cruelty at the source.

I love seeing their bills passed. I love getting the e-mail updates. I am completely satisfied with where my money is going.

Whoever threw this charity in the mixed, has hoodwinked you, just as bad as PETA hoodwinks you. Please , when you donate, learn the difference between the HSUS and the AHA, among other "Similarly named charities". Since they have to release their financial records as a charitable non profit, it has been shown that in the past their actual donations to animal shelters are as low as 1% of their yearly income. Figures based on a 2010 study, where $187,515,301.00 that the group raked in , only 1% seen its way to actually helping starving or homeless animals at shelters.
When people speak of this charity, its really a misnomer for an activist group rivaling PETA. In fact, this group is listed as #2 to 4, on the top 10 dirty'est charities when dealing with animals.
If you like being mislead, and your donation misused, pocketed, while someone preaches to you they are fighting the good fight and you believe it, then this charity is for you. If you want to do it right, just go down to your local animal shelter, and make a donation to them. Buy food, help fund pet population problems, and humane treatment of animals. Just look at the reviews, and you can see very fast that something about this group just doesn't add up, while most if ot all of the others are garnerng 5 star support. STAY away from these frauds.

The HSUS is nothing but a lobbying group that bullies the agriculture industry. They give 1% of every dollar to actually helping animals. Their ads look like they are helping animals but they don't. If you want to help animals, donate to the ASPCA and local shelters. They're the ones that need the money.

HSUS is the most under handed deceitful organization, lieing to the public to generate funds at $19.00 a month with less than 1/2 of 1% of there money spent on the protection of animals, they do not run or fund any animal shelters, they will use any desaster to generate fund and then only a small % to do what it's raised for, get the true picture log onto to humanewatch and see for yourself. How can they be rated as a 4 star organization?

I'm thrilled that someone posted the address for Humanewatch.com as a reason to dislike HSUS because now I've decided to donate to HSUS! Humanewatch.com is a fake "watchdog" site run by Center for Consumer Freedom, which is a lobbying group run by Richard Berman, a lobbyist for the fast-food, meat, alcohol and tobacco industries. Anyone that CCF hates must be doing something right, especially since they've developed an entire fake website devoted to bashing them!

Also, the HSUS mission is NOT to run shelters. It is to improve the lives of all animals across the board. It's apples and oranges, folks. Donate to the HSUS for a broad reach, and your local shelters for a neighborhood mitzvah.

I am responding to the person who wrote in on Nov 11, 2012 questioning the math on the financials and making the comment that Charity Navigator seemed to be favoring HSUS. Possible explanation is the last notation on HSUS page on Charity Navigator - "This charity has an official respresentative registered at Charity Navigator" - ? Just a question....

You know, what really bothers me about some of the reviews I have read here is this... Most of them sound EXACTLY like the accusations I have heard against other animal rights organizations. Almost all of their so-called facts can easily be fact checked and found to be lies. I am an accountant by profession and please know if you are concerned about where your donations go non-profits that are not religious affiliations are required to disclose their financial statements. You can check for yourself! As for HSUS not supporting any shelters they happen to run several shelters in my home state. That is saying a lot since my state ranks very low in animal rights laws. No one is trying to take away domesticated animals for goodness sakes! If you are really interested in what HSUS does here is a link to their financial statements. http://www.humanesociety.org/about/overview/financials/2011_annual_report/annual_report_2011.html
Don't listen to the naysayers. They are probably the ones abusing the animals.

The HSUS is not an animal welfare organization. They are an animal rights organization whose goals are to destroy animal ownership and breeding. They donate less than one percent of their income to animals in need and the majority of their money is spent lobbying legislators to make it impossible for ranchers to continue to raise the food supply for this country. They are under inverstigation for violation of the RICO act. They do not meet the standards to be a 501c charity. They mislead the public and spend their money on photo ops during disasters and then leave town and they sure dont leave the money there to help the rescuers. Please go to HumaneWatch.org and do your own investigating. Search the internet fro Katrina/HSUS and make your own educated choice. Donate directly to local rescue and shelters so the money goes to help the animals.

If you donate to HSUS, you are funneling a chunk of that money to some of the sleaziest professional fundraising companies in the world. Quadriga Art (Google CNN's investigation of them) and Share Group (shut down last year for fraudulent reporting) are two of their many liars for hire. CharityWatch, the Einstein of charity watchdogs (Charity Navigator is the Paris Hilton of the bunch), gives HSUS a D for spending 48% of our taxpayer-subsidized donations on fundraising. Animal rights newpaper Animal People concurs, noting that direct mail solicitations requesting money are fundraising, not charitable services. How difficult is this concept? In 2002, Worth Magazine spent 6 months investigating American charities to find the 100 Best and 10 Worst. Worth's sources included Charity Watch. HSUS was one of the 10 worst. Three years ago, Worth, no longer an investigative magazine, spent around an hour compiling a list of the 10 most financially efficient charities. Their only source: Kim Kardashian aka Charity Navigator. HSUS made that list. When you promote or reward groups like HSUS, you are keeping crooked mail mills and telefundraisers in business; you are betraying the donor public and you are diverting money away from the intended beneficiaries. I'm embarrassed for Great Nonprofits and Charity Navigator.

I am shocked and outraged that anyone would list the HSUS as #1 on ANY list of great nonprofits, or even VALID nonprofits. I won't post links. Instead, I invite anyone who reads this review to simply type the words "the truth about HSUS" into Google, Bing, or any other search engine. Pick a link, and do it wisely-- choose the animal rescue organizations that post about it rather than those you think might be suspect. You'll find your dollars are used for everything BUT animal rescue. The HSUS doesn't operate a single shelter, not one. They charge shelters for their materials, and advocate euthanasia over adoption. Check their statistics. They go hand in hand with PETA, another organization that is anything but advocating FOR animals and would rather see them killed than involved with humans in any way. Search for euthanasia statistics and HSUS and see that they kill most-- not some-- but MOST of the animals turned over to them. If you've got the guts and temerity, you'll end up with images of animals kills en masse at the orders of HSUS. HSUS has tried to clean up its worsening image lately by "doing good," but those efforts don't erase the true face behind this terrible organization. Consider the info on this page: http://gracieland.org/DaneRescue/available/index.html and do your own research before you throw your money into the money-sucking abyss that is the Humane Society of the United States.

This organization helps animals locally by working for (and passing) legislation that protects ALL animals of a certain class, such as animals raised in factory farms or in puppy mills. They also provide direct care to many abused animals. They do a great job, as documented in their very well-written magazine. People who misunderstand their mission do animals no favor by running them down. Who else is working on a national level to prevent animal abuse? Who else is in a position to rescue animals when natural disaster strikes? We need a national organization as much as we need local ones.

HSUS is NOT in the business of animal welfare, but animal rights. HSUS does NOT support your local animal shelter, does NOT actively save dogs and cats (despite their fundraising advertising and their carefully orchestrated photo ops) and DOES spend more of their fundraising dollars funding their pension fund than they do on actively helping animals. They meet their education requirement as a 501c3 with the single phrase "Spay/Neuter your pet." HSUS gets an "F" from charitywatch.org. It's the grade they deserve. Unfortunately, HSUS has a lot of negative impact on animals and people everywhere.

My issue with the HSUS is that through those heart wrenching commercials, they lead people to believe that they are helping homeless and shelter pets. Not that they actually say that but the images imply that. I for one no longer donate to the HSUS but rather donate to shelters and groups that are in the trenches every day helping abused, neglected and homeless domestic animals. I know they show up at every high profile disaster with their beautiful trucks embellished with their logo, but once they perform their "rescue" they dump the "rescues" on local shelters, and within a couple of days i'll either get an email from them or see a new ad on tv asking for a donation to help that effort. shame on you HSUS.

Thank Yous HSUS for your dedication in fighting for humane legislation and your unwavering commitment to improving the lives of animals everywhere! You are Awesome!!

It has been well documented that less than 3% of the donations received by HSUS actually go to helping animals. The rest goes to anti animal legislation and healthy paychecks to their employees. HSUS spends most of the donations it receives on things other than the actual care of animals. According to the Center for Consumer Freedom, after analyzing documents filed with the IRS, the HSUS collected $86 million in 2008 and — get this — gave only a half of 1 percent ($450,000) of that budget to the care of needy animals.

Furthermore, $20 million was allocated for legislation, litigation and campaigns. More than $24 million, which is 28 cents of every dollar received by HSUS, was spent on further fundraising!

Perhaps even more alarming is the fact that 41 HSUS employees were paid at least $100,000, and HSUS President Wayne Pacelle’s salary was more than $250,000.

Are you kidding me?? 4 stars? HSUS breaks up dog-fighting rings and puppy-mills and dumps the animals on local shelters without a dime. They lobby to kill most of the animals they "rescue" such as th Vick dogs. ot tht that stops them from fund-raising for the animals they aren't contributing to. Until they get caught that is. They partnered with dog-fighter Micheal Vick recently as well. Anyone who supports this scam is naive or deluded. They are just as bad as PETA! This rating makes me trust this site very little.

I do not understand how they rate so high when they spent in 2010- 68 million on programs and 53 million on fundraising - that is way too much. the ratio should never be more than 25% spent on fundraising.

I appreciate the work HSUS does to help ALL animals and to tackle systemic forms of animal abuse that local animal shelters simply aren't able to address. I volunteer for my local shelter and I have personally worked alongside HSUS volunteers in direct rescues of animals from hoarding situations and puppy mills. They also rescue dogs and roosters from fighting rings and operate several animal sanctuaries. Those who say that HSUS does nothing for homeless animals are just spouting off the talking points crafted by anti-animal faux-charities (The Center for Consumer Freedom and Humane Society for Shelter Pets) funded by industries that profit from animal exploitation. These front groups are the work of Rick Berman, the same terrible human being who has attacked other legitimate charities like Mothers Against Drunk Driving. The industries that fund his fake charities would prefer that you only donate to your local shelter because that means they will never have to change their abusive business practices. The more they step up their attacks on HSUS, the more I know that HSUS is making important gains for animals. I will continue to support BOTH my local shelter and HSUS because I know they both help animals in different but equally important ways.

This rating is completely without merit. The HSUS gives 1℅ of donations to local shelters. The money collected from animal lovers is spent on an animal rights agenda with NO thought given to animal WELFARE. Please support your local shelter who do the real work to help animals.

Why tell us that you support Animal Shelters when less then 5% of your actual income go's to shelters? All HSUS is worried about is hiring lawyers and lobbiest. Get out of here. I will support my local shelter and never support HSUS.

The Humane Society is a top-level and wonderful organization. After reading some of the negative comments, it is amazing how many stupid and ignorant people we have in America. The Humane Society helps to get laws passed so those who are evil and ignorant will be held accountable for their actions against animals. If I won millions in the lottery, the Humane Society would be the first organization to receive my money, along with the ASPCA, Dogtown, and other similar organizations. I only regret that my donations are not enough to promote change, such as to pass laws that severely punish all who are involved in puppy mills and other inhumane treatment of animals. It's shocking that in 2012, we still live among barbarians in our country, and we have the nerve to call other countries "third world."

I would hope HSUS wouldn't say they're an animal shelter, since they're not. But, they do send people door to door raising money for local animals when it won't be spent locally. Also, while they're not an animal shelter they do rescue thousands of animals from puppy mills and other unsavory people, of which they euthanize just under 85%. No, they're not an animal shelter, they are advocates who are good at filming people bludgeoning seals and who stand against puppy mills, pet stores, people who 'own' pets and un-owned pets in general, since they are invasive species to the environment.

Is terrible when you donate to an organisation that only care about their money, they do more harm that good and their radicals views end being bad for the animals and person.

The Humane Society of the United States is a lobbying organization that essentially wants to ban all confined animals. If it were left the the HSUS all animals would be banned and no one would be able to keep even a dog. I have worked aside HSUS multiple times and all of their volunteers were misinformed and were just trying to make quotas in donations! When a "nonprofit" puts away more money in their pension plans then they actually give to animal shelters there seems to be a problem. And for anyone saying this is a nonprofit, you should tell Wayne Pacelle that. It definitely seems like he is making a huge profit off of it!

Having had to deal with HSUS employees in the past, they seem to be rabid in their misled beliefs, quick to disparage anyone with an opposing view and love to spew views that do not hold up to scrutiny. They will not be held back by facts! They don't care about majoritys, they don't care about the needs of animals, they do care about donations, the love donations, donations are power to them, donations pay for their lawyers and their lobbyists. HSUS is a true American terrorist organization

I've been a supporter of the HSUS for many years. I greatly support the work their team does to rescue animals from dire situations and place them in loving homes when possible. HSUS rescues not only domestic animals, but wild animals from zoo operators not in compliance with USDA regulations. Animal welfare is of utmost importance, and HSUS cares.

HSUS uses false advertising that they are helping shelter animals, when in reality they donate a very, very small portion of their money to help these animals. They exploited the Michael Vick fighting dog case to get millions in donations even thought they did not have custody of any of those animals........then they support Michael Vick even though he was convicted of animal cruelty. There is a major contradiction here.

They also were the lead agency in the animal rescue portion of Katrina volunteers. They shipped dogs to shelters all over the US and left people in New Orleans hopelessy searching for and not finding their dogs. They stood in the way of people being reunited to their beloved pets.

They also push anti-pet legislation, such as manditory spay and nueter laws that would affect responsible breeders who do genitic health screenings and take back puppies anytime,. These same laws would not prevent backyard breeders or puppy millers from breeding as they stay undercover and don't obey licensing laws anyway. Wayne Pascelle has been widely quoted as saying, "One generation and they're out" when talking about manditory spay/nueter laws.

Nobody want to see animals mistreated, but this organization does not spend your donations they way their advertising leads you to believe.

Below, I clicked some impact, but it is negative impact.

DO NOT SUPPORT THE HSUS!!! Here is why...HSUS is a "Humane Society" in name only, sharing a meager $527,566, or 0.4 percent of its $120 million budget with sheltering organizations nationwide in 2010. In the same year, HSUS spent $47 million in fundraising-related costs (37 percent of its total budget) and put $32 million in hedge funds... - http://archive.constantcontact​.com/fs024/1103685263837/archi​ve/1108433184606.html

They use paid phone solicitors who are persistent and extremely rude. No respect for your privacy -- got as many as half-dozen, or more call in one day from 9:01 AM to 8:59 PM. Also, HSUS sells your name, address, etc to other organization. I used to donate but after dealing with their solicitors and organization staff's lack of ethics, not a penny will go their way!

I'm not sure why so many people complain that the Humane Society isn't just a big animal shelter. Yes, we should support our local shelters. However, we should also support organizations working for change on a larger scale. We need better laws to protect animals, and we need people to become more aware of what is actually going on with animals in our country so that we can work to make changes. This is what the Humane Society does, and they do it better than any other animal welfare organization out there. I will continue to support them in making a difference for ALL animals.

I count our lucky stars that HSUS is a powerful animal lobby & think that's exactly where effort should be concentrated. LEGISLATION is important and gets to the root of problems afflicting domestic & wild animals. Without powerful animal lobbys, wild & domestic animals are at the mercy of other powerful lobbys like NRA & sportsmen groups.....and yes, they heavily influence domestic/ livestock animal issues . I commend Wayne Pacelle for his vision and for his strong leadership of the 'PAC' :)

Let's be honest - H$U$ does NOTHING but enable vegans to change our world. Their goal - the same as PETA - is to separate humans from the rest of the animal world - no meat, no eggs, no dairy, no milk, no leather, no wool, no service animals, no drugs based on animals, no animal research, no riding, no fishing, no search-and-rescue animals, no drug sniffing animals AND - lastly - NO PETS!!!!

Sick people who kneel down at an evil altar want to eliminate all domestic animals! That's right - they want to remove all choice and force their sick way of life on everyone. Abused as children - in their minds - they hate love and comfort and companionship.

They are lobbying for laws all over the country that will remove your right to own an animal. Think twice about giving them any money - as bassetboy said - they do NOT help any animal. They LIE!!! In fact - they are responsible for putting family farms out of business!!!

By the way - this 1 star rating is TOOOOoooo high for them - but there's nothing lower!!!!!!!!

I'm all about animal WELFARE. But animal RIGHTS groups, like HSUS (which is particularly egregious since it masquerades so well as a legitimate welfare organization), will never see a dime of money from me. Just say NO to groups that don't want anybody to have a right to keep ANY pets.

I love animals. I am an animal welfare advocate. I do not, however, agree with the tactics and stances that HSUS advocates on pet ownership. I will donate my money and time to local shelters where I know it can be used.

Being an exotic pet owner. I find that my rights to happiness constantly under attacks by this group, and others like them, (ie, PETA). If they seriously wanted to help animals out, then they would stop attacking pet ownership, and start giving more of their income to small time organizations that are actually out there giving their time and money to help animals. I lived in Louisiana when hurricane Katrina hit. HSUS did nothing but stay on the TV. It was local organizations that actually took the animals in and helped them out, all without seeing a dime from H$U$.

HSUS is full of lies! This organization is NOT affiliated with local shelters...they do not own any shelters and seldom help animals in them. They are the wealthiest animal-rights organization on Earth, so why aren't they doing more to help animals?

They also wreck havoc on the reptile keeping industry, touting false claims and using scare tactics. Yes, constrictor snakes have have killed 12 people since 1980. However, dogs have killed 187 people since 1988!!! How can snakes be the "public health hazard" when dogs are inherently more dangerous? Furthermore, HSUS says that a lot of snakes are WC (wild-caught). I personally can't think of a snake I've seen who has been WC...most are Captive bred, just like dogs and cats have breeders! I've also never known anyone to get Salmonella, and I am constantly surrounded by a reptile community. Snakes DO make good pets, HSUS is full of lies!

They are, predominantly, an anti-pet organization. Once they manage to make having exotic pets illegal, don't think that they won't go after your dogs and cats.

HSUS is NOT what you think it is.

As a long time pet reptile keeper, I am aware that this anti pet, anti farm livestock organization has A LOT of money to promote their agenda! I do not begrudge any group the free speech to promote their views, even when opposed to mine. But I DO find it extremely deceitful to garner huge donations by commercials featuring sad eyed puppies and kittens, implying that donations go to help abandoned, shelter animals. In fact, virtually no money goes towards shelters. (Call your local humane society shelter and ask for yourself - I did!).

If lobbying and politics are the goal, then change commercials and ads to reflect that. Most donors love their pets and would not donate as they do if they knew the true agenda, and the anti pet true nature of this group.

If you have a pet reptile, even an innocuous little turtle or lizard, be sure to read the last page of the reptile book published by HSUS. It appears to be a book to help reptile keepers, but they state in no uncertain terms that they wish to outlaw the whole hobby. Don't think that your pet cats and dogs are safe once all of the easy pickings (exotics) are banned.

The HSUS is just a politcal front for the anti-pet lobby. The tear jerker commercials are their way of raising as much money to put into lobbying as possible. Please, DO NOT confuse HSUS with your local humane society that actually DOES work for the animals.

Ask almost any local Humane Society, do they receive any founding from this "non-profit" organization? No! Yet they can spend quite a bit of money on tear jerker advertisements to solicit money from people under the assumption that it actually helps individual, real animals. If that isn't a scam, I don't know what is!

I attended the book tour of Wayne Pacelle in Boston MA. The person I listened to and met there was a person who genuinely cares about animals. Not just dogs and cats, but every animal. The Humane Society of the United States is constantly and tirelessly trying to make the world a better place for all animals. I am a proud supporter of the Humane Society of the United States because the passion that runs through Wayne Pacelle runs through the entire organization.

The HSUS combats cruelty from all angles: on-site rescues, investigations, helping to change laws to prevent cruelty ("lobbying"), shelter education, spay/neuter programs, disaster rescue. Their full-on approach encompasses all animals, from companion pets to livestock... no one animal is less deserving of humane treatment than another, they all feel pain the same way. It is this well-rounded and all-encompassing approach that makes me a support of the HSUS. Their accomplishments are nothing short of amazing. As an animal lover, I am very grateful to have these guys on my side!

HSUS needs to use their money on the animals keep their unresearched emotional pleas out of Washington and OUT of our homes! If it were up to HSUS we'd have no property rights! Go away HSUS!

This "Charity" is a scam! They only donate .5 percent of their profits to actual animal welfare! The majority of their money is spent on lobbiest! They are a polictical animal rights group with the same agenda as PETA. They wish to ban the ownership of all pets...starting now with the exotics. And I don't just mean cobras...they are trying to ban all exotic birds (like parakeets and canaries), frogs, reptiles, even HAMTERS! Seriously. Look at a group called HumaneWatch for the real truth. They are trying to elimnate cattle ranching, chicken farming, and all other sourses of "animal slaverly". They have been pulling the wool over america's eyes TOO long! Stop falling for the lies!
Your dollars are not going to animals...they are going to extremist animal rights groups!

I dislike HSUS because: they do not sponsor any sanctuary directly, they are a lobbying group.
ALSO, they pay their executives far too much of my hard-earned money.
A half million dollars PLUS for a president who is so full of himself!???
One who CLAIMS to work for the benefit of the animals, yet befriends and speaks highly of a FELON. (Michael Vick, who did not serve enough time for his crimes.)

I have attended several HSUS conferences and found them very informative and compassionate. I have supported their efforts to make and change laws to give animals a voice and stop cruelty. I work with a non profit dog and cat rescue that has worked closely with the HSUS by taking in several adoptable dogs from large scale rescues both from puppy mills and natural disasters. I believe HSUS is on the right track in trying to change and strengthen animal protection legislation.

I donate to this organization and appreciate all of the legislation they have been involved in. Just reading about it here...there is much more than I even knew about.

HSUS is perpetrating one of the greatest charity frauds ever committed upon the general pubic. From their ads and solicitations you would think that their goal is to help save animals. Not even close to the truth. They have no interest in saving animals, they don't operate sheltors. Their war chest is used to fund ever more restrictive animal laws. It is their goal to end the domestication of all animals. It is their goal to end all farming. Their ideal future is to make all the world vegetarians. We would not have pets of any kind. We would not eat anything other than vegetables. Their ads do no reflect their reals goals and aspirations.

I appreciate and support the HSUS and their active campaigns for so many animals. So thankful they are busy uncovering and fighting cruelty. I support them every month and encourage others to do the same.

These people are more interested in making large amounts of money for a few and lobbying congress to torment people with horses rather than helping animals at shelters.If you want to help animals please give to your local shelters.

They don't do enough for pet shelters. They spend more money on their own executive pension every year than they do for actual pet shelters. Yet they use "save the poor puppies and kittens" as their advertising plea, intending to use virtually none of the dollars collected for the poor puppies and kittens. If they are going to function like PETA, and have PETA's agenda, at least they should be honest about themselves in their advertising for donations. To pose as an animal welfare organization when they are really an animal rights organization is disingenuous at best, and outright fraud at worst.

It's pretty obvious HSUS is flooding fake "support" messages here. I can't stand the HSUS, they are simply a con artists preying on the best instincts of people to get their money to further vegan/ ultra animal rights, NOT animal welfare agendas. They are the same as PETA.

They indirectly "steal" money from local shelters because people think they are giving to a national organization that benefit shelters and this is not the case. I support my local shelters and responsible animal stewardship. I do not support giant corporate "non-profits" that generate their money by creating hysteria and preying on people's best intentions.

I hold an animal science degree from UC Davis and through my post secondary education there, I started to gain exposure to what HSUS is really about. They are no better that PeTA, they're just savvier about hiding their agenda. Anyone who criticizes them is lumped into "puppy millers" or "animal testers" or some other horrible sounding group. Please don't donate to this organization, there are much better groups like local shelters, or your local zoo that you can donate to.

I saw a dog get hit by a car. Stopped what i was doing found the owners. They didnt care were afraid they would get in trouble because its on the breed restriction list and they arent allowed to have it where they live. Refused to go to the hospital with me, so I went by myself. Drove over a half hour out of my way to the closest hospital open. When I got there they took the dog into the back. Then I told them what happened, they asked me to fill out paperwork. After I did they looked it over and said oh never mind we can't help you. I said why not? I couldnt afford to pay for the bill and they told me because I lived a county over that the humane society or the aspca wouldn't help the animal. I found the dog a loving home within the next few hours. She died while her new owner stayed up to take care of her. He even tried to rush her back to the hospital when she went into a critical condition. He was too late. The dog died. Isn't your motto something like we turn no animal away? BULLS**T

The HSUS is little more than PETA in a different skin. They are NOT an umbrella organization for shelters anywhere in the United States.

They do not own and operate any shelters. They have no affiliation with local humane societies that actually help animals.

Less than 1% of your donations to them actually go to animals in need. The rest go to padding executive pension plans and for political lobbying that hurts pet owners.

Learn the facts about the HSUS at HumaneWatch.org

H$U$ is a scam. They are PETA in a suit. Their only agenda is to make everyone a vegan by putting farmers out of business. They do not help shelters, they do not care for animals, they line their pockets with MILLIONS of dollarsand use the money to lobby for deceptive bills. I do not raise animals and I am not a farmer, so you cannot accuse me of being biased...I just know the truth about HSUS and I hope everyone else learns the truth too.

This is the most crooked organization I have ever had the mis-fortion to come across. They use pictures of homeless dog's and cats to pull ur heart strings, then use the $$ to further their own political agenda. Well they don't use all of it for that, just 99.5%, the other 1/2 of a penny for every dollar they steal from their contributers does got to helping shelters. To really help homeless pet's please give to your local shelter.

HSUS is not about animal welfare; it is an animal RIGHTS organization. Their own charter specifically says they are NOT to engage in political lobbying, yet this is the main thrust of their activities. Their main advertising is about abused pets, and this is what they use to solicit money, but not even 1% of the money they take in goes to actually help homeless pets. The bulk of their fundraising goes to — more fundraising! They pay people to raise money! If someone wants to really help animals, do it LOCALLY. Bring a couple packages of paper towels to your local shelter. Sponsor an animal's neutering surgery. Walk a dog — teach it to sit and walk nicely on a leash, and give it a better chance at being adopted! But don't throw money at HSUS unless you, too, want to see an END to all domestic animals.

Seems if you give them money, instead of it going to feed a puppy they will use it to buy stock in some multinational corporation - just to leverage them into going "cage free." With an annual budget of $200,000,000 a year, they can get by with their illegal lobbying, battalions of state gadflys and other payroll parasites without my assistance.

Let's see them start doling out some of their millions to help local shelters that are struggling just to keep the lights on and quit paying for their CEO's multi-month national "Am I Great Or What" self-promotion book tour.

An intervention would do wonders for the H$U$ to end their addiction to wasting other people's hard earned contributions.

They are not a functioning humane society. They operate NO pet shelters and less than 1% of their money goes to actual shelters.

They spend MOST of their money on lobbying but still get by as a non-profit group.

Also, they NEVER had possession of Michael Vick's dogs - NEVER, and yet they collected donations "for the Vick dogs" and THEN proceeded to advocate that they be euthanized. How anyone can justify that sequence of events is beyond me.

Please help pets by supporting local shelters. If you want to shut down puppymills, never buy a dog from a pet store. Always go through a reputable breeder or reputable rescue.

Also, HSUS's end goal is to eliminate all animal agriculture and business. Their goals are the same as PETA's, they just present themselves less radically.

Support REAL animal shelters, not HSUS!

Less than 1% of the money HSUS collects actually goes to help real cats and dogs. Don't waste your money by giving it to HSUS. Give it to your local shelters, who need support helping the animals in your area that need it.

A couple of years ago, I discovered that my mother was annually sending THOUSANDS (that she could ill-afford) to this group that is NOT AT ALL who they say they are. It took me quite a time to convince her that she was giving money to people that were actually doing the exact opposite with her funds than she wished.
Since then, I have discovered much more about these groups’ agendas.
When their own tax returns (public record) show that they use LESS THAN ONE PERCENT (of the millions they bilk from the public) on actual animal care, how can they possibly be a charity you'd want to give your hard-earned money to? Makes you wonder if ANY nationally-based charities are legit. If you want to donate to animal care, give to your LOCAL shelters where you know where your money will be used.

HSUS is not a charity, it is an animal rights advocacy group. They are currently being investigated by the IRS regarding thier status as a charity since they spend so much lobbying each year. Less than one percent of thier annual budget goes to aid animals in shelters. The majority of thier funds go towards supporting legislation to forward the animal rights agenda, soliciting more funds from donors, and funding employee salaries and benefit packages. It is important to note that the HSUS is in no way affiliated with any local shelter that might bear the name Humane Society. If your intention is to specifically help animals in shelters donate locally. They are in grave need of donations since many people are under the false impression that the HSUS is actually helping them, which they arent.

The HSUS mislead donors into thinking that they are donating directly to local animal shelters, when the HSUS has no affiliation with or control over local humane societies.

The HSUS ran a misleading fundraising pitch in relation to the Michael Vick dog fighting case. Fundraising material on HSUS's website one day after Vick's indictment stated that donations will be used to "help the Humane Society of the United States care for the dogs seized in the Michael Vick case..." and that donations would be "put to use right away to care for these dogs...". It was later revealed that the dogs were not in HSUS's care and that HSUS recommendation was for the dogs to be euthanized.

HSUS does no work in the interest of animals at all. It's purpose is to further the animal *rights* agenda, which means it's goals are to eliminate animal use and ownership by humans altogether.

The legislation it sponsors and lobbies for (which is where the bulk of its income goes) is in no way protective of animals. All their legislation seeks to limit animal ownership, for any purpose whatever. They are against all animal ownership, from pet ownership to service and sporting animals right up through food and fiber animals. Their policies result in more animal suffering and death than all the dog breeders and farmers combined. They are no friend to animals.

HSUS is a vegan animal rights organization and is not in any way friendly to animals. The vegan goal is to eliminate all animal products and animals from human lives. All ... food, clothing, companionship, exhibition, working animals. All.

Their pretense of working 'for the bigger picture, beyond shelter animals' is pure sham.

Less than 1% of your donations go to actually physically helping animals in need (taken from your own annual accountancy reports) - that is scandalous and shows how dishonest a group you are, taken money from 'real' animal rescue groups/shelters with all your continuous false advertising.

HSUS has changed from an Animal Welfare org to an Animal Rights org run by by avowed Vegan Wayne Pacelle, and and Vegan and ALF member John Goodwin. Their true agenda is not to save animals but to remove animals from our lives as companions and food animals. A hard look at their own Tax Reports will show less than 1% of donations filter down to the very shelter's that donors think they are helping. Check out their website and notice the all Vegan recipes, go to any HSUS run conference and see that the menu is ALWAYS VEGAN.
HSUS runs NO shelters .. NONE! They do show up at disasters (which is what they SHOULD be doing) as long as the cameras are rolling. They collect millions in donations for Katrina, Haiti, The Gulf, Missouri, etc. but most of that money is used for lobbying , pensions, and big salaries, not for the victims of said disasters.

I used to be a supporter, but no more. Their vegan, anti-pet, anti-meat agenda is far removed from the original purpose of Cleveland Amory's Humane society. Their manipulation of generous, soft-hearted Americans is sickening and dishonest.

There is nothing great aout HSUS except their abiity to raise money under false pretenses. They do NOT fund any local shelters and many people who donate to them don't know that! It is a very left wing group with hidden agendas that have nothing to do with helping animals. The ads they run sound like they are helping animals, but in reaiity, they are more aimed at crippling the agricultural industry. HSUS doesn't say it too loudly, but you can find the information if you look--they want to turn our society into a vegan one.

I find it sad that HSUS masquerades as a welfare organization but is more actually political lobbyist than anything else. Even if they gave 10% of their millions to brick & mortar shelters, that would be a vast improvement of the less than 1% that they currently donate. They're more about photo ops & a vegan agenda than actually helping animals.

HSUS is a terrible organization. They disguise their anti-agriculture/anti-pet ownership agenda as an animal welfare org. They play on people's emotions to steal their money then use it to push their agenda and line their pockets. They mislead people into believing that they are using their donations to help animals, when in reality, they kill more animals than they save! Beware of this organization if you love animals and care about our hard working farmers!

Those that support H$U$ continuely try to deflect attention to the facts by attacking the messenger. If one was to ignore all information about the messenger, and deal strictly with the facts, it would be discovered that H$U$ runs continous misleading ad campaigns to solicit donations, spends money on promotional items to get more money, with NO FACTUAL documentaion showing that the money they have donated to them gets donated to hands on shelters in substantial amounts. Instead to blubbering slanderous attacks against the messenger, I challenge anyone to produce DOCUMENTED FACTS to support their claim that H$US does not give the majority of the money donated to them to salaries, pension funds, and political lobbying. Don't bother replying with opinions, or feel good stories. Please provide FACTS that I can personally look at and draw my own conclusion from. I've taken the time to examin the existing documentation that I can find and have reached my own conclusions without being blindly led by anyone. Have YOU??

This "animal rights" organization, does more harm than good. They spend more money on lobbying than anything else, next is the salary for their execs. Not only do they take money away from local shelters that need it, and donate less than 1% to actually animals, but they along with their sidekick PETA, interfere with conservation efforts around the globe. Their representatives had publicly declared at town meetings, that they want no animals in captivity within 10 years. Including cats and dogs. They also frame people for illegal activity and spread smear campaigns.

If you want your local shelters to be helped with thier homeless animal DO NOT donate to HSUS Less than 1% of thier 100 million a year goes to the animals. Their ads give the impression that it is going to your local shelters but it is not. They attend all high profile events and use that event to get more donations .

I lump the HSUS in with the ASPCA and PETA. They all play on the publics sympathy to make money and further their causes. Animal welfare has little if anything to do with their goals. If it did, they would support animal shelters with a little more than words. They claim credit that is not theirs to claim and the steal $$ from those who deserve it.

Donate to your local shelters (unless they are are associated with one of the aforementioned) and become a member of an organization that supports pet owners rights!

Self-serving, tax-evading, and misleading. This nonprofit looks like a umbrella of humane societies or shelters, but it is not. While some of the things it has done, and continues to do, will benefit animals, the agenda of the organization is essentially to separate animals and man...as in extremist vegan and anti-companion pets. The ads I have seen on TV say that my donations go to help the (neglected/abused animals in the pound) but they don't state how. Upon researching, they do it by regulating man's ability to keep animals and how they keep them, not by supporting the animals in the pound, or their vet bills, or to start up/continue supporting shelters.

The H$U$ lures people through their sad commercials and I fell for it as well, but I didn't donate and good thing I didn't because instead of them being "non-profit" they are an "all-profit" organization and people should become aware of this.

The HSUS goes out of its way to promote dog fighting convicts. The rate of dog fighting rings has tripled in Philadelphia, PA since the HSUS has backed Micheal Vick. If you want the dogs in your neighborhood to die in a fight be sure to back this organization.

Contrary to their TV commercials they don't run any shelters. They give about 1% that is ONE Percent of the revenue donated to them to shelters that do help animals. On more than one occasion they have come to the defense of a shelter to KILL adoptable animals rather than turn them over to no kill 501c3 rescue groups. HSUS is a revenue generating machine for Wayne Pacelle and his ultimate agenda of eliminating companion animals, service animals, farm animals and human'e use of animals in any way.

The Humane Society of the United States has no interest in humane treatment of animals. Instead, they lobby to cripple ALL animal agriculture and drive up the costs of food. They are a Vegan run Animal Rights organization intent on ending animal agriculture and pet ownership completely. They have assets in excess of $200 million dollars and yet spend less than 1% of that money on animal care (even though their misleading ads imply your donation will help pets in shelters). They collected over $30 for the pets of Katrina, dumped the pets in local shelters and left with ALL the money.

HSUS proudly helping you to limit your food choices one specie at a time.

I am not a farmer, I am not a dog breeder or puppy mill owner, I am an average citizen with family pets. I eat meat (both wild and store bought) and I enjoy milk from cows and other products from our agriculture. Any organization that tries to tell me not to own pets, or what to eat or what to wear is not an organization I can support. I support my local shelters and help to find homes for abandoned animals, I buy fishing and outdoor licenses to help manage our wildlife.

This charity has mislead the American Public for years. Look at their donations for a dog named Faye, Michael Vicks Dogs and then for Katrina just to name a couple of examples. In each of these cases they used sad pictures and advertised how to "help" and after the donations were collected they proceeded to "pocket" them and donated very little if any to these causes. Then when CONFRONTED with the facts they did cough up a little more of money but MILLIONS of donations have been sent for causes such as these and to help with REAL animal shelters only to be pocked by these fat cats! Time to make them loose some weight--after all being overweight and living off others kind intentions is not a healthy way to be!

I am sooo glad the members of Congress asked for them to be investigated!

The H$U$ is a front for the Animal "Rights" movement, whose two goals are total criminalization of ALL human-animal contact, followed shortly thereafter by total elimination of ALL domestic animals through mass slaughter. They trick the public into believing they support animal welfare, when in fact, all of them; Wayne Pacelle in particular; hate domestic animals almost as much as their fellow traveller PETA hates women. Less than 1% of the millions of dollars they rake in each year goes to support any actual animal welfare projects. The rest is used to fund anti-agriculture lobbying, their lawyers, their executive pension fund, and terrorist groups like ALF and EarthFirst!.

They are NOT the American Humane Society, but people do not recognize that and donate to them by mistake. Their financial records are a nightmare and they have been voted to be one of the worst as far as WHAT they use their money for and most of it goes into the pockets of the board members. This was reported by a very reliable money magazine. They use their money to harass those that are trying to eliminate catastrophic diseases. They do NOT use their money for no-kill shelters or free neutering shelters, in fact most of their money after they take very large salaries goes to lobbying.
Absolutely, not a good use of donated money.

HSUS is great -- if you believe that all people should be vegans (ie - nothing in the diet comes form an animal or animal product) and don't mind the fact that they don't think anyone should own a pet.

"We have no problem with the extinction of domestic animals. They are creations of human selective breeding" -- Wayne Pacelle, HSUS CEO, from Animal People News. No domestic animals means not only no meat, eggs, cheese, milk, wool etc., but also no service dogs, police dogs, bomb-sniffing dogs, seeing eye dogs, dogs for the hearing impaired...the list goes on.

The HSUS is currently under investigation for tax fraud. In 2008, their assets totaled about $162 million. Their operating budget about$99 million. Of that, only about $455 thousand went to helping animals, $27 million went to fund raising, the rest to salaries, pensions and lobbying. That's less than one-half of one percent that actually went to helping animals. These figures are public record.

Beginning on the day of NFL quarterback Michael Vick’s 2007 dogfighting indictment, HSUS raised money online with the false promise that it would “care for the dogs seized in the Michael Vick case.” The New York Times later reported that HSUS wasn’t caring for Vick’s dogs at all. And HSUS president Wayne Pacelle told the Times that his group recommended that government officials “put down” (that is, kill) the dogs rather than adopt them out to suitable homes. HSUS later quietly altered its Internet fundraising pitch. In December 2009, HSUS solicited for donations, sending out emails for donations http://action.humanesociety.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=6805.0&dlv_id=9802 to help Faye (even though her name was spelled Fay), even though they never had Fay in their possession, and were not providing for any of her care. The organization caring for Fay contacted HSUS, and they finally donated a small amount for her care. Even though Fay didn’t survive, HSUS continues to troll for donations in Fay’s name https://secure.humanesociety.org/site/Donation2?idb=0&df_id=2762&2762.donation=form1&autologin=true&JServSessionIdr004=ca574p6cs4.app304a HSUS is currently under investigation by the IRS, and a lawsuit has been filed against them under the US Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. http://humanewatch.org/index.php/documents/detail/racketeering_lawsuit_filed_against_hsus_and_its_lawyers/ Until he participated in an illegal raid, HSUS’s senior management included a former spokesman for the Animal Liberation Front (ALF), a criminal group designated as “terrorists” by the FBI. HSUS president Wayne Pacelle hired John “J.P.” Goodwin in 1997, the same year Goodwin described himself as “spokesperson for the ALF” while he fielded media calls in the wake of an ALF arson attack at a California veal processing plant. In 1997, when asked by reporters for a reaction to an ALF arson fire at a farmer’s feed co-op in Utah (which nearly killed a family sleeping on the premises), Goodwin replied, “We’re ecstatic.” That same year, Goodwin was arrested at a UC Davis protest celebrating the 10-year anniversary of an ALF arson at the university that caused $5 million in damage. And in 1998, Goodwin described himself publicly as a “former member of ALF.” According to a 2008 Los Angeles Times investigation, less than 12 percent of money raised for HSUS by California telemarketers actually ends up in HSUS’s bank account. The rest is kept by professional fundraisers. And if you exclude two campaigns run for HSUS by the “Build-a-Bear Workshop” retail chain, which consisted of the sale of surplus stuffed animals (not really “fundraising”), HSUS’s yield number shrinks to just 3 percent. Sadly, this appears typical. In 2004, HSUS ran a telemarketing campaign in Connecticut with fundraisers who promised to return a minimum of zero percent of the proceeds. The campaign raised over $1.4 million. Not only did absolutely none of that money go to HSUS, but the group paid $175,000 for the telemarketing work. Research shows that HSUS’s heavily promoted U.S. “boycott” of Canadian seafood—announced in 2005 as a protest against Canada’s annual seal hunt—is a phony exercise in media manipulation. A 2006 investigation found that 78 percent of the restaurants and seafood distributors described by HSUS as “boycotters” weren’t participating at all. Nearly two-thirds of them told surveyors they were completely unaware HSUS was using their names in connection with an international boycott campaign. Canada’s federal government is on record about this deception, saying: “Some animal rights groups have been misleading the public for years … it’s no surprise at all that the richest of them would mislead the public with a phony seafood boycott.” HSUS raised a reported $34 million in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, supposedly to help reunite lost pets with their owners. But comparatively little of that money was spent for its intended purpose. Louisiana’s Attorney General shuttered his 18-month-long investigation into where most of these millions went, shortly after HSUS announced its plan to contribute $600,000 toward the construction of an animal shelter on the grounds of a state prison. Public disclosures of the disposition of the $34 million in Katrina-related donations add up to less than $7 million. After gathering undercover video footage of improper animal handling at a Chino, CA slaughterhouse during November of 2007, HSUS sat on its video evidence for three months, even refusing to share it with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. HSUS’s Dr. Michael Greger testified before Congress that the San Bernardino County (CA) District Attorney’s office asked the group “to hold on to the information while they completed their investigation.” But the District Attorney’s office quickly denied that account, even declaring that HSUS refused to make its undercover spy available to investigators if the USDA were present at those meetings. Ultimately, HSUS chose to release its video footage at a more politically opportune time, as it prepared to launch a livestock-related ballot campaign in California. Meanwhile, meat from the slaughterhouse continued to flow into the U.S. food supply for months. I would never give another dime to this group.

A great organization. Actually cares about the health and well-being of animals. Big argibu$ineSS has their pawns out against them, but it's really funny.

The Humane Society of the United States is simply the most effective voice for animal welfare in the history of the US. Through its' sanctuaries, legislative actions, spay and neuter campaign, disaster response, information for shelters and other campaigns addressing whaling, seals and farm animal welfare, HSUS has positively impacted the lives of all animals.

HSUS has gotten a bad wrap from an organization called humanewatch.org, which is an affiliate of the Center for Consumer Watch. Take a look at this website to learn more about this supposed non-profit http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Center_for_Consumer_Freedom. Also, check their profile in Guidestar. They are not what they seem to be but they are swaying a lot of animal advocates by discrediting HSUS. HSUS does wonderful work with lobbying for better animal care practices. Since these practices are not convenient to big industry, a man by the name of Berman created CFF and humanewatch to distract the public from the real truth. The truth of how these industries make animals suffer for their own profit...

They have contributed little to the welfare of the animals in the circumstances which provide the organization with their best fund-raising opportunities.

As a dog lover and breeder of purebreds for over 50 years, I can support all the negative comments regarding HSUS. It is a sham political front collecting monies under the guise of helping animals; it does no such thing! It purports to help the helpless; it really intends to make all animals obsolete and turn society into it's idea of a vegan society--no zoos, no circuses, no sensible farming methods, no hunting, no furs, no meat eating, no American way of life. These radicals have no desire to help animals; they do have an intense desire to help their political causes and themselves through large salaries and luxury offices. I hope the gullible American public wakes up and quits listenting to little Hollywoodites who know next to nothing about real life! They just support causes that "sound good."

Misappropriation of funds, does not help animals as they claim to be doing. Does not actually help any animal shelters and very little helps any animals. Money instead goes for fundraising and attorney/lobbyist fees to pass anti-animal legislation.

I wish I could give zero stars. There is nothing humane about H$U$. All they really care about is lining there own pockets and lobbying legislators to enact laws to eliminate individuals rights to own and care for animals. They should have their 501 status revoked and forced to pay taxes because in no way are they a charity.

Owner of a computer/network repair and maintenance company. With exceptions of very short duration, I have owned animals all my life including, but not limited to dogs, cats and fish. I have never been involved with HSUS, but have been impacted by their agenda and the ideas they push.

They want to be the animal police in our country. They deceive the people about what they are doing with the contributions they receive. Their own comments are they are not in the business of animal shelters. They have not done any scientific studies to back the stories they tell. They are a not a government agency either. Their agenda is to do away with all animals. There will be a large economic impact on this country when businesses and family farms are lost do to the legislation this organization is getting passed. They are not the good ole boys they want people to think they are and they don't care about animals or people.

I saw their TV Commercial, and went to their website - this organization does work work. I was happy to be able to read Mr Pacelle's blog to get a more personal feel for the group. I volunteer at my local shelter and am happy to see and hear about what is happening on the national level to help animals, I donate to both because I can't pick one!

Watching the HSUS people in action in trying to pass laws in over 40 states in the U.S. makes me very upset. They want to take away my right to raise,breed,and love my dogs. They want to shut down pupy mills ,as I do ,but their methods they are persuing will also stop legimitate dog breeders. If you really want to see what they do with their donations read their financial statement. Millions of dollars donated 25% to executive compensation, 25% to publicity, 3% to shelters. When thet do one of their FABULOUS T.V. raids they take the animals , smile for the cameras, wear their coats that inentify them to the world and take the animals to a local shelter. The shelter gets no compensation from HSUS to care for the animals. If you really want to find out the truch about contact the Atlanta NBC tv station and ask them about their expose about the Katrina animals and HSUS..

The HSUS just takes money from people and use it to lobby lawmakers into passing laws that we don't need. They tout them as being for the animals when in reality, all they want to do is eliminate all dog and cat ownership. 99% of the money they collect goes to lobbying for laws that only hurt everyone not help the animals.

It is unfortunate that HSUS has exploited the humane society name to make innocent people thinking they are saving dogs and cats. Unfortunately, HSUS is an animal welfare extremist industry. Let's face it, their staff has to raise money for their boards agenda to get done. If they don't raise money they will no longer have a job. I love my pets and adopted them from a shelter. I give generously to my local shelter and want all other wanting to save dogs and cats to also give locally. The HSUS provides very little assistance to local shelters. Just enough to say they do help. It is really sad.

Please please donate to your local area shelters, they are the ones who need the money. You can donate food, blankets, toys and money.

These people are so dishonest. I just found this article: WASHINGTON – According to new research from the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF), the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) contributed less than four percent of its $91.5 million budget to hands-on dog and cat shelters in 2007. CCF is criticizing the nation’s largest animal rights group for not doing more to help hard-working local humane societies, calling HSUS’s name "misleading." According to its most recent tax return (filed on November 14, 2008), HSUS contributed about $3.1 million of its $91.5 million operating budget to hands-on pet shelters. CCF performed an exhaustive audit of HSUS’s giving last month. Martosko continued: "HSUS is telling Americans how hard it is for local shelters to stay open in this economic climate. But it’s taking their donations straight to the bank. More Americans need to understand that the Humane Society of the United States is not an umbrella group for local humane societies. But the hard-working professionals and all the homeless pets in those shelters could certainly use one – especially now." To read the explosive "Seven Things You Didn’t Know About HSUS," visit www.ConsumerFreedom.com.

HSUS is attempting to take away our rights to own and enjoy pets, as well as force us to become a vegan society by making the cost of meat and dairy products out of reach for most people. They are doing this by proposing and supporting legislation across the country that makes pet breeder so difficult, no reputable breeders will exist. In addition, adding outrageous restrictions and requirements for farmers and ranchers will force many of them out of business or make them raise prices to pay for the right to do business. HSUS is NOT for animals - they do not support local shelters, and the money they raise from unsuspecting Americans goes to pay staff and political pros across the country. SO NOT SENT THEM ANY MONEY!

The HSUS is nothing more than an Animal Rights lobbyist organization. They do not care about Animal Welfare, their only goal is to eliminate animals from our lives - as pets, as food, as clothing, and in every other way. Please do your research on the HSUS before donating any money to them. Personally, I would not have given them any stars, but 1 star is the least you can give.

HSUS is all about legislation and not about animals. They collected funds for the care of Michael Vick's dogs when they didn't even have the dogs! They collected millions for Katrina and spent a fraction of it. The last raid that rounded up pitbulls with HSUS involved ended up with all 150+ dogs, even puppies being euthanized. Don't waste your money - give to your local shelter. These folks will be happy when there is no use of animals at all.

HSUS does nothing to actually feed, house or care for animals. It is an Animal Rights organization whose main goal (and where they spend most of their money) is passing legislation to make pet ownership more difficult and expensive.