Several of you have sent in links pertaining to the recent multi-state seizure of 367 dogs in connection with a dogfighting bust. And almost everyone who did also asked the question: What will happen to the dogs?
Since the ASPCA and HSUS are involved, I will speculate based on past performance: Already overburdened rescue groups will be tasked with saving many of these dogs, forcing them to stretch their meager resources even further and to create space where none currently exists. Local dogs in need of rescue will be displaced. ASPCA and/or HSUS will probably leave some of the dogs at pet killing facilities under cover of night and will never reveal what happened to the dogs. But none of this will occur until after ASPCA and HSUS feel they have sufficient video and photos of the dogs featuring people dressed in logo’d attire, for future exploitation purposes aimed at suckering compassionate animal lovers into padding their enormous bank accounts.
In short, the only ones likely to come out of this situation in the WIN column are those who get their paychecks from ASPCA and HSUS. For everyone else involved, both human and canine, it’s a crapshoot, at best.
Yup. Sure do agree. My only glimmer of hope was the wonderful and loving reception the folks received from the dogs. I use the video to counter the pit bull-in-a-basket muzzle stock footage that is accompanying some of the media coverage.
Yep.
And that’s exactly why I’ve not said a whole heck of a lot on it. Thank you for saying it so well.
The TRUTH, as succinctly as possible. Shared.
You said it so well. I hope that enough people will step up to prevent those dogs (and/or others) from being killed. Shame on the groups who simply use those dogs for money making! Waiting for the next sad song, sad picture from the ASPCA . . .
amen we run a small rescue in NC and see this with all the national groups. You will not see these dogs again once the money is made off of them. So sad but true. Donate to your local rescue and go there to volunteer and see your money at work.
That’s it in a nutshell! It saddens and sickens me to realize that every time those two organizations go and raid the dog fighters it’s the dogs who will once again lose. We should all be able to celebrate the fact that they’ve been taken out of a bad situation. We all know we can’t because of what they face is most likely certain death.
All of us here on this blog know what’s going to happen.. I wish the rest of the human race would get their heads out of the sand and see these two organizations for what they really are.
you pretty much nailed it, based on the history of past busts.
First of all, the dogs will be kenneled while the legal process works its way.. months or years. Noble volunteers will do their best to give these dogs some human contact and exercise. SOME of the dogs will ultimately be saved and promoted and will find homes. Many surely have HW, babesia and other health problems that will make it easy to pick them to kill. A few will have dangerous temperaments, either human aggressive or uncontrollably dog-aggressive (and no one should object to the killing of such dogs). A few will have fearful sketchy temperaments and will pull on the heart strings of kind hearted rescuers who will devote resources to save them while ignoring the rock-solid pit bulls killed every week in shelters. Some rescue groups that get the dogs will make a big deal and raise their own $$$ and public image using them. Some rescue groups will take dogs and treat them as any other dog.
And sadly, what Im finding on FB, some normal APBT owners/advocates see little wrong with the photos of how these dogs were kept.
Sadly you are completely correct. In my humble opinion, the HSUS and the ASPCA should give the rescues and the shelters the needed money to deal with all the dogs. We know that wont happen. Such a sad situation.
Way down at the bottom, a list of those shelters and agencies involved at the moment is included:
Agencies assisting the ASPCA and The HSUS with the operation include: Florida State Animal Response Coalition and Sumter Disaster Animal Response Team (Bushnell, Fla.); University of Florida (Gainesville); Humane Society of South Mississippi (Gulfport); International Fund for Animal Welfare (Yarmouth Port, Mass.); Asheville Humane Society (Asheville, N.C.); Charleston Animal Society (Charleston, S.C.); Louisiana SPCA (New Orleans); American Humane Association (Washington, D.C.); Greater Birmingham Humane Society (Birmingham, Ala.); Atlanta Humane Society (Atlanta, Ga.); PetSmart Charities (Phoenix, Ariz.); Code 3 Associates (Longmont, Colo.); and Montgomery Humane Society (Montgomery, Ala.).
I don’t know anything about any of these (I’m in California). I do know it’s not complete, as Red Rover was asked to provide services – they don’t specify where or for what, but they typically provide temporary shelters.
The process of both exploiting and erasing the dogs has already begun. I’ve seen a lot of upsetting and moving photographs, some with donation buttons, but not with any data on the dogs or the locations from which they were seized. According to the articles, they’re currently being held in temporary shelters in nondisclosed locations. Everyone’s playing it very close to the chest. My guess? A lot of these dogs will vanish without anyone not immediately involved having known they existed as something other than a number.
And so it begins….. I just received the first, in what I am sure will be a complete bombardment, of pleas for money to allegedly help the animals. It is complete with photo of someone with an ASPCA hat holding puppies. https://www.causes.com/actions/1759349-2nd-largest-dog-fighting-bust-in-history-help-now?utm_campaign=activity_mailer%2Fnew_activity&utm_medium=email&utm_source=causes&ctag=c6e5823eef34bf287511239a9396c9a930&ctoken=jx5z8H3p7VZa6Dhs5cdpI7GSg208kerRzFHmC-bzURgBu0eGWhBXZcbkx9iPcjuUzWy6idGDkO9Eyu8cAZzyIg%3D%3D&uid=49313495
Frankly, they’re a little slow. I’m surprised they didn’t have photos taken at first light for use in boilerplate donation pleas that could be sent out immediately. Maybe they’re off their game.
*sigh* On one hand, I feel like its at least good that they are getting out of the dogfighting “business” (Id rather be dead than have to do that all the time) but on the other hand, I know that they dont have a good chance of getting out of there alive because there are so many of them. If I knew the HSUS/ASPCA would be good about sending these dogs to rescues, no-kill shelters and other places where I know they will get good homes, then Id be happy and donate money. But why donate to a place where they are going to die anyway. Just sad all the way around. Thanks for your thoughts, Shirley.
And HEEERE they come, complete with a video:
Humane Society of the United States via mta-c3poola1.cluster3.convio.net
8:00 AM (1 hour ago)
(to me)
“When I woke up at 3 a.m. on the morning of the raid, I thought of you, our supporters, and I was so grateful. You made this day possible. Please help us care for these dogs and rescue others with a gift to our Animal Rescue Team»” We are committed to ending dogfighting in every dark corner where it festers. We need your help. Please see our rescue video, and then consider making a donation to our Animal Rescue Team.
But for each of the 367 who are now safe, there are so many more out there awaiting their turn. With you by our side, we will continue to work hard to see the day that they, too, can be saved.
Thank you for all you do for animals.
Wayne Pacelle
President & CEO
“every dark corner where it festers” – I could think of another use for these words as relates to HSUS.
FYI – my post on the HSUS FB page and their response . . .
It’s a darn shame that most of these dogs will either be sent to smaller kill rescues (where many will be killed) or will be killed outright. And you will continue to use this as an opportunity to raise more money. You have plenty of money to shelter and rehabilitate these dogs, but will you? Shame on you!
Like · Reply · 1 · 3 hours ago
The Humane Society of the United States Hi XXXXX, thank you for coming to the source with your concern. The HSUS takes our responsibility to dogs seized from these cases very seriously and are committed to treating each dog as an individual. Currently the dogs are receiving much needed veterinary care at our temporary shelter and will have individual enrichment plans to help these dogs get the much needed love and attention they deserve. Once released by the courts we will work with our Dog Fighting Rescue Coalition on the placement of the dogs. The DRC, launched in September of 2012, is a coalition of animal rescues and shelters across the country that work together to give dogs from these cases a chance at a new life. The success rate of placing dogs from these cases has been highly successful, with many going on to become certified therapy dogs and more. We’d encourage you to read more about that program here:http://www.humanesociety.org/…
The HSUS response is well-crafted for marketing and general fundraising purposes, and is certainly better than their Wilkes County, Alabama 44, and Vick dog kill statements. Of course, HSUS has no real choice in the matter, as the online animal welfare community has exposed and documented their “rescue” scandals and shared the information with countless animal lovers.
HSUS always positions itself to benefit from large scale cruelty cases and natural disasters more than anyone else, although the ASPCA is now part of the cartel. HSUS words their statements and press releases to reinforce the notion that they are a major player in the rescue and shelter communities, and that they meaningfully fund the shelters and rescues in the coalition. In other words, HSUS is the correct middleman for our donations. Every dog in this case will be on the 2013 tote boards for the number of animals HSUS “rescued” and the number “directly cared for.” Like that model notorious for saying that she doesn’t get out of bed for less than $10,000 a day, Pacelle isn’t interested in quietly funding the daily rescues of animals conducted by local authorities, shelters, and individuals no one ever hears about. He doesn’t get out of Hollywood and the Hamptons for less than $10 million.
These dogs will appear in HSUS’s TV infomercials and they will be highlighted in their annual report, fundraising letters, and marketing material. It will help feed Pacelle’s grandiose claims that HSUS “rescues and cares for more animals than any other group.” In reality, the HSUS work is mostly conducted by volunteers. The veterinarians treating the dogs work in the Texas, Alabama, and Mississippi communities, and volunteer their time. HSUS makes it appear that they are paid staff members with HSUS.
Hurricane Katrina was the prototype for these big cases. HSUS finagled their way into being named by FEMA (than run by Michael “heck of a job” Brown) to coordinate disaster animal rescue. HSUS got in trouble there because Pacelle was seeking donations to “charter airplanes,” “pay the round trip transportation costs for thousands of volunteers,” and stuff like that. He even told the NonProfit Times that HSUS “established a website called Petfinder” in the days following Katrina. Needless to say, HSUS couldn’t back up any of these claims. No proof of chartering planes, because the costs for the flights were paid for by T. Boone Pickens after well-connected volunteers begged him to get the dogs out of the hellhole HSUS was providing for them. HSUS made even more money for Sandy “and other disasters” than they did for Katrina animals, but were careful to only report $2.1 million raised for Sandy. When the New York Attorney General requested an an expense report, HSUS could only account for a third of that $2.1 million. $700,000 of a likely $40+ million raised.
HSUS also counts puppy mill, dogfighting, and farm animal cases as disasters. How many large puppy mill cases has HSUS been involved in this year? How many times has “our Dog Fighting Rescue Coalition” (less than a year old), been activated? How much cash has HSUS provided to it’s members? Daisy B———-, the woman who runs ithe Coalition, isn’t a paid staff member. I’m sure she is compensated, but not to the degree a novice might be led to believe. If HSUS asks for money for this case, people should formally complain. If HSUS doesn’t put some of their Sandy cash cow haul to use, animal people should demand that they do.
Finally, “The success rate of placing dogs from these cases has been highly successful, with many going on to become certified therapy dogs and more” is classic HSUS. It implies that the future therapy dogs come from HSUS rescues and their Rescue Coalition success stories. “These cases” really means these KINDS of cases. HSUS is indirectly taking credit for dogs like those Vick dogs that went on to become therapy dogs. The number of dogfighting victims that become therapy dogs is low, I think. Like the real number of animals HSUS really rescues and “cares for.”
Just saw Cathy Karr’s comment. Unbelievable.
HSUS didn’t rescue these dogs. HSUS volunteers are “caring for” 114 of them. The fundraising pitch includes the “help us care for these dogs AND RESCUE OTHERS” fraud scheme disclaimer.
I’m going to air some complaints. I don’t care that smirking Pacelle is a “corporate psychopath” incapable of shame or redemption.
That was merely an excerpt from the self-congratulatory list of lies. If you have the stomach for it, here is a link to the latest heart-rending squeeze sent out to the cheated, betrayed animal lovers who pay Pacelle’s outrageous salary and send him off to sit beside Michael Vick: https://secure.humanesociety.org/site/Donation2?6780.donation=form1&df_id=6780&autologin=true&s_src=em_artappeal083013&JServSessionIdr004=nmmul5pzv5.app306b
114 dogs. No mention of where the rest of them are. Right.
succinct and direct as always. Trying to get this out there as much as possible
Meet the REAL predators: just subjected to the first wave of the latest tv commercials featuring sad animal faces from the A$PCA begging for a monthly gift of just $18 for which I will receive a coveted Tshirt, of course. How incredibly cynical and vile are these vultures?
Ive been receiving emails from Red Rover for a while now, and yes, they have been asking for donations for this. Since Im sure they are the one doing all the actual work/rescuing, I will donate to them.
PS. What are your thoughts on the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA)? Are they just like the HSUS/ASPCA? Somehow i ended up on their email mailing list but I dont know a whole lot about them.
I have heard of the group but never had occasion to look into their practices.