‘We’re from the HSUS, and we’re here to help’
By Gina Spadafori
December 15, 2008
The expression, of course, is a turn on a quip Pres. Ronald Reagan made, “The most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”
Clever rallying point for the Grover Norquist set, but of course the problem isn’t government per se, but government that’s not helping. I mean, really, ask the folks in New Orleans if they’d have liked to have seen some effective government help during and after Hurricane Katrina.
It’s the misguided, ham-fisted, ideology-driven government that doesn’t help, not the government that fixes the potholes and provides room and incentives for small business to start and to grow and for people to get the help they need when they need it and be left alone when they don’t – all handled with transparency that let’s everyone see what the government is doing.
So what does all this have to do with pets?
In Montana, a person with a history of run-ins with animal control had a dozen animals seized. A couple hundred more animals are on the property, mostly English Shepherds.
Some English Shepherd people are worried that the Humane Society of the United States will jump in to “help,” as in make a grandstand media play about the evils of high-volume breeding — while the dogs themselves are quickly killed because there’s no space, no money and no real interest to change the normal way of handling these things. We saw this attitude recently in the Houston area, where all the dogs from the bust of a fighting operation were killed. All of them.
I often defend the HSUS here — and often criticize them, too. I have long known many good people who work there, and I have never thought they have the extreme animal-rights agenda of, say, PETA. In other words, there’s a chance for change, for working together, and the organization has been making statements that indicates change is coming.
Talking the talk is grand, but here’s a chance to walk the walk.
If the HSUS is going to get involved, it needs to work with (not take over from) the national breed rescue group and local shelters, rescuers and agencies to provide the money and the resources so that, if these dogs are in need of new homes, they get the chance and the time to find those homes. No more of this (to take from Lassie Get Help), “What a terrible crime! We must execute the victims!”
Get in there, get busy and work with others as part of a team to help these dogs. If you’re going to jump in, it better be with more than your media spokespeople and direct-mail fund-raising team. Make the change, and use this situation as a template for how the HSUS really can help advance no-kill in our nation.
We’re watching.
More on this situation here (Raised by Wolves), here (Smartdogs), here (Border Wars) and here (English Shepherd rescue). You can make a donation at that last link. Just sayin’.
(Image: Gary, courtesy of Raised by Wolves. Forever home, anyone?)
Thanks for the link.
As much as I’d like to hate a “breeder” like that, I’d like to see her demeanor on camera. So many facts lead to “half-assed puppy miller” but many also lead to “mental hoarding disorder” as well.
I think there are many big time puppy mills out there that are as effective in selling their puppies to stores as they are evil in knowingly and willingly inflicting suffering on their ‘factory producers.’
I don’t think this person’s path to this horrible place started with the same evil intent. But it certainly ended in the disaster, and she certainly picked up some of the big time puppy miller traits (small breed dogs, i.e. pugs) along the way.
It’s scary how little the government could really do in this case despite more than a decade of advanced warning and run-ins.
Comment by Christopher — December 15, 2008 @ 1:24 pm
‘We’re from the HSUS, and we’re here to help ourselves’
Fixed it for ya.
Comment by Selma — December 15, 2008 @ 1:44 pm
I can’t resist playing:
“We’re from the HSUS and we’re here to kill your dogs right after we pose for a promo shot with the authorities.”
On the breeder, I hope this gets sorted out quickly. Either way (guilty or innocent), the longer it takes, the more time dogs must suffer.
Comment by slt — December 15, 2008 @ 3:49 pm
Thanks for posting the link for NESR donations and helping to get the word out. It’s a sad situation and no one is going to win in the end.
Comment by Janeen — December 15, 2008 @ 6:50 pm
Unfortunately,HSUS misleads us because it has engaged supposedly in projects that we don’t seem to mind (maybe saving whales). However, the problem is that via this belief of projects we may not mind, there are LAWS that HSUS brings forward that impact us pet owners. When all breeders, particularly dog breeders are lumped into milled dogs that abuse dogs, we have a problem, Houston.
When laws and legislation are pushed to MSN everything, limit pets,stop dog breeding, and force shelter dog adoptions, closing down pet stores, I have to draw that line.
And when the line is drawn, there can only be 2 sides. Pet ownership or non pet ownership.Not which breeder, not which kennel, not which show makes HSUS look good. Even Gerry Spence in his recent Catching Pigs (on his blog) explains how corporations use ads to dumbdown the public. And boy has the public been downed by HSUS. Go look at some of their lawsuits, and the lawsuits across the country. HSUS misleads and even lies about it.
Comment by skennedy — December 24, 2008 @ 12:21 am
skennedy, a question: In your list of things you object to, you’ve included “closing down pet stores”.
Why would you object to that?
Comment by The OTHER Pat — December 24, 2008 @ 8:15 am