A Rose by any Other Name

What is in a name?

A name is how we identify things.  It is how we choose a place to shop, a place to eat, what to eat, what to read.  The way a name sounds affects how we interpret or believe things to be.

Which would you rather eat:  Savory Shrimp or Savory Decapod Crustaceans?

Choosing a name is something over which we all spend days and weeks agonizing.  We put time and energy in to coming up with the perfect name for our children, our business, our clubs and our pets.  We all know the importance of a name.

But so do the “bad guys.”

PETA – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

Wow, what could be a better cause to donate to and support?

HSUS - Humane Society of the United States

We all know humane societies help find loving homes for abandoned animals and step in to remove animals from unsafe environments.  Where do I mail the check?

But wait!

What do you know about these organizations?

Let’s take a closer look.

PETA

In 2013 alone, PETA killed 1,792 cats and dogs.  That equates to 82 percent of all animals PETA took into its shelter throughout the year.

Numbers don’t lie, and according to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), since 1998, 31,190 animals have died at the hands of PETA.  In 2005, PETA employees were arrested in North Carolina after killing adoptable pets and tossing the bodies into a supermarket trash dumpster.  Trial evidence showed they killed animals they described as “perfect” and “adorable.”

That’s right, despite a budget of $32 million, PETA destroys 82 percent of the pets surrendered to their “shelters.”  In fact a 2010 review of PETA’s records, done by VDACS, shows that PETA kills the majority of the animals entrusted to their care and placement within 24 hours of arrival. 

HSUS

We have all seen those commercials with images of hungry, cold, lonely, heartbreaking cats and dogs.  You know, the commercials playing an ebbing song in the background and asking you to help put an end to neglected and abandoned pets.  But wait, before you reach for your checkbook, you may need to know a little more.

HumaneWatch.org reported that according to HSUS’s own tax returns filed with the IRS, HSUS is a “Humane Society” in name only.  HSUS’s 2008 through 2010 tax returns show HSUS shared less than one half of one percent ($527,566, or 0.4 percent) of its $120 million budget with sheltering organizations nationwide in 2010.  Despite being unable, or unwilling, to help fund sheltering organizations, HSUS spent $47 million in fundraising-related costs (37 percent of its total budget), while banking $32 million in hedge funds.

In 2010 HSUS spent nearly 90 times more on fundraising than it did on grants to support sheltering.  HSUS also received a “D” grade from the charity watchdog, American Institute of Philanthropy.

Now let me get this straight.

The people advocating the ethical treatment of animals not only kill more than they save, but also kill them within a day?  They don’t even give them 10 days to try and find a home?

And the people showing me heartbreaking photos on TV actually spend more money trying to get me to send them money than they spend to help the animals in the pictures?

So I ask again:  What is in a Name?

Apparently not everything we think.  Next time you get ready to donate to a cause claiming to care about animals, make sure you know the facts.  Your local animal shelter is far more likely to be doing the actual work of helping animals.  We may not like everything associated with local animal shelters, but they are the front line in getting animals off the streets and out of the hands of abusers.  Generally speaking, they are providing food, shelter and basic veterinary care, as well as an opportunity for adoption.  They may not all be “no kill,” but they are working within their communities to educate and promote responsible pet ownership.