My most recent follower on Twitter is Stacy Pearson, part of a public relations firm in Arizona which lists the Arizona Humane Society as a client on its website. The AP reports that Ms. Pearson was hired by the Arizona Humane Society specifically to handle the media after the killing of Scruffy was revealed this week.
On the one hand it’s good to know the Arizona Humane Society has enough extra cash in the bank to cover an emergency expense such as hiring Ms. Pearson in an attempt to stop the hemorrhaging of donations from the outraged public. But on the other hand, if the Arizona Humane Society is indeed flush with cash – the group’s website indicates a yearly budget of roughly 12 million bucks – it seems all the harder to stomach the attempted justification of Scruffy’s killing due to financial concerns.
The statement regarding Scruffy’s killing posted by the Arizona Humane Society director reads, in part:
We are heartbroken that need continues to overshadow resources available[…]
Yet there are immediate resources available to hire Ms. Pearson when donors realize they’ve been hoodwinked and have been giving money to a place that kills pets.
Ms. Pearson told the AP that “the Arizona Humane Society at the time didn’t accept credit card payments over the phone because of possible fraud”. Apparently the Arizona Humane Society does not want to run the risk of possible fraud when it might mean they don’t get paid for lifesaving services but they don’t mind perpetrating a fraud against the public by calling themselves a “humane society” while needlessly killing pets.
Astonishingly, Ms. Pearson ramps up the rhetoric by making what sounds to me like a thinly veiled threat:
“Pulling funding is only going to make a problem like this worse.”
Worse than death? Because that’s the issue at hand, or as Ms. Pearson terms it, “a problem like this”.
It’s a problem that the Arizona Humane Society killed Scruffy.
It’s a problem that the Arizona Humane Society refused to accept the payment offered for her care.
It’s a problem that the Arizona Humane Society deceived the owner into relinquishing ownership of his pet on the promise of prompt veterinary treatment.
It’s a problem that the Arizona Humane Society gave the owner the runaround for 3 weeks instead of telling the truth about killing Scruffy.
It’s a problem that the Arizona Humane Society cites a lack of resources as a reason for killing Scruffy then immediately hires a PR firm to try to spin the media on the story.
It’s a problem that the Arizona Humane Society calls itself a “humane society” when in fact they have a $12 million yearly operating budget and kill more than 70% of the cats and dogs in their care.
Spin that, PR lady.