We all know how much HSUS loves to put on their logo attire and grab an armful of puppies to parade before the TV cameras so they can yell RESCUE! immediately followed by SEND MONEY! And while I believe HSUS is a misleading, dishonest anti-pet organization who does the opposite of rescue, I do support the general idea that neglected pets living in horrific conditions should be helped. So here’s the thing: If HSUS is truly taking suffering dogs away from these vile living conditions, why don’t they show it? I mean, wouldn’t it be good for fundraising? They sure seemed to like the idea when they tried to fundraise off Fay (a disfigured dog they didn’t have).
The HSUS “rescue” of 206 dogs, 31 chickens, 12 ducks, 9 horses, 3 geese, 2 guinea hens and a parrot (and a partridge in a pear tree) from a home in Edgefield Co, SC yesterday yielded the following:
Many of those dogs have eye and skin infections and dental problems[.]
“It’s simply unacceptable for dogs to be housed in such cruel conditions,” said Kim Kelly, South Carolina state director for The HSUS.
“They were living in just deplorable conditions. A lot of them had some pretty serious health issues, which the veterinarians are looking at and documenting.”
[…]
“It’s pretty tough to see animals suffering like this, and we really want to be able to help them as much as we can.”
And yet, these are the dogs HSUS chooses to show the media:
While it’s impossible to see inside these dogs’ mouths or examine their skin up close, and most of us are not vets anyway, they look ok in the video. They appear to be clean and fuzzy and accustomed to being held by people. If they were truly suffering in deplorable conditions and are afflicted with serious health issues, it’s not evident to me in these images. And knowing how HSUS makes use of deceptive advertising ploys, it makes me question the whole story. I hope they didn’t just take 206 dogs et al away from someone because they were being bred.
Kim Kelly, again:
“The situation we found today demonstrates the need for stronger laws in South Carolina.”
It’s not illegal to breed pets or to keep them clean and fed. I don’t know what laws have been broken here but once again, I question whether it was necessary for HSUS to remove every last living thing from this property. Could the owner provide better care for fewer pets perhaps? Could HSUS have offered education and assistance to improve the living conditions? We don’t know many details of this case but we do know that HSUS has an anti-pet agenda and does nothing to actually rescue pets. All these animals will be left at various financially strapped shelters and rescues, already full of pets in need, and HSUS will be sending out donation pleas to pad its $100 million bank account. Win?