Tag: Humane Society of the United States

If Humane Society CEO Wayne Pacelle Cares About Animals, He Should Resign

FEB. 2, 2018 UPDATE: Wayne Pacelle did the right thing — today he announced his resignation as CEO of the Humane Society of the United States.

I’m a longtime supporter of the Humane Society of the United States, which has done an exceptional job in helping to eliminate puppy mills, cracking down on dog-fighting operations and assisting pets affected by natural disasters.

At the same time, I’m not a fan of its CEO, Wayne Pacelle. Why not? Because back in 2007, when more than 50 pit bulls were rescued from Michael Vick’s dog-fighting operation, Pacelle said they could not be rehabilitated and wanted them all to be euthanized.

Fortunately, the wiser and more compassionate officials at animal welfare organizations like Best Friends Animal Society and BAD RAP knew better, took in the dogs, and soon proved Pacelle to be dead wrong. Many of those survivors, known as the “Vicktory Dogs,” became certified therapy dogs, including Jonny Justice, who was awarded the ASPCA — not HSUS — Dog of the Year honor in 2014.

Nearly 11 years later, there’s even more reason to dislike Pacelle, as well as many members of the HSUS board of directors.

Sexual Harassment and a Toxic Work Environment for Women

The Washington Post reported earlier this week that an internal investigation of the HSUS identified three complaints of sexual harassment by Pacelle. Senior female leaders warned Pacelle that his history of sexual relations with subordinates, as well as with donors and volunteers, could hurt the nonprofit. When they complained about Pacelle’s behavior, it fell on deaf ears.

The HSUS offered settlements to three employees who said they were either demoted or fired after reporting the harassment. That settlement money came from donations intended to help animals, not the CEO.

Pacelle claims it’s all a lie. “This is a coordinated attempt to attack me and the organization,” he told the Washington Post. “And I absolutely deny any suggestion that I did anything untoward.”

Some HSUS employees agreed with Pacelle, saying all of those relationships were “consensual.” But others said he created a toxic work environment in which female employees believed they had to have sex with him to further their careers.

Seven HSUS Board Members Resign in Protest

Today the majority of the 32-member HSUS board voted to let Pacelle keep his job. Seven board members immediately did the right thing and resigned in protest. News of the board’s decision is already resulting in the loss of essential contributions from major donors, the Washington Post reports.

“I think Wayne Pacelle should do the right thing and resign,” Rachel Perman, director of charitable giving at Tofurky, told the Post. “I absolutely will not donate to HSUS if Wayne Pacelle is employed.” In November, Perman sent an email to all HSUS board members, urging them to investigate Pacelle after several employees told her they’d been mistreated by him. She only heard back from one board member, interior designer Erika Brunson, who asked Perman if she was out of her mind.

I believe all those women. By not ousting Pacelle, Brunson and the other board members are basically indicating it’s acceptable for the CEO to use his power to screw people — and with the loss of donations, they’re screwing animals as well. Pacelle and those board members should be ashamed of themselves.

Photo: Slowking4

R.I.P. Christina Grimmie, ‘The Voice’ Finalist and Hero to Animals

Christina Grimmie, the 22-year-old former finalist on “The Voice” who was murdered by a psychotic fan last night, wasn’t only passionate about singing. She also had a passion — and compassion — for animals.

At the time of her senseless death, Grimmie was participating in a Charity Champions League fundraiser to raise money for her favorite nonprofit, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).

“My adopted dog Chloe is my best friend, and I’m competing in Charity Champions League on her behalf,” Grimmie said on her team page for the fundraiser. “It’s our responsibility to make sure that animals everywhere are protected and treated well, so let’s all come together for HSUS!”

Described as a “one-of-a-kind ‘giving competition’ designed to give everyone the chance to support some of the nation’s most effective nonprofit organizations—for free,” each nonprofit represented in the Charity Champions League fundraiser, which ends June 15, is guaranteed at least $5,000. The nonprofit represented by the team with the most points — earned from visiting the website, sharing it on social media, etc. — will receive an additional $250,000.

Thousands of fans appear to be paying tribute to Grimmie by joining her team. As of this morning, it had accrued over 1 million points — more than twice as many as the other teams.

“The entire universe at The Humane Society of the United States is grieving today with the family of the beloved Christina Grimmie,” its president, Wayne Pacelle, said in a statement today.

“She didn’t just possess a beautiful voice – she was a beautiful soul who used her talents to spread a message that we humans should not mete out violence to animals. We will carry her message forward, despite the pain we feel.”

At the Humane Society Gala in New York City last November, Grimmie performed “I Need a Hero” on behalf of homeless and mistreated animals. You can honor her legacy by joining Grimmie’s Charity Champions League Team, or by supporting the HSUS or animal charity of your choice — and, I strongly suggest, by supporting laws that make it easier for people with mental issues to get help, not guns.

Photo via Twitter

NIH Stops Funding Biomedical Research Using Randomly Sourced Dogs

As of today, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the world’s largest provider of funds for biomedical research, will not pay for research conducted with dogs obtained from random source Class B dealers.

These dealers get their dogs in a variety of ways, including from animal shelters and Craigslist ads, or by stealing them from their yards. They then sell the dogs to research laboratories.

In 2012 the NIH stopped funding research that used cats from Class B dealers, but it’s taken three years to include dogs as well.

“We thank NIH for its work to institute this policy and we welcome this step forward,” Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), wrote on his blog today. “We also thank the many other organizations who devoted their energies to achieving this important milestone, including Last Chance for Animals and the Animal Welfare Institute.”

As many as 2 million dogs and cats were sourced by Class B dealers before the passage of the Laboratory Animal Welfare Act in 1966, according to Pacelle. Over the next two decades, there were still more than 200 registered Class B dealers in the United States.

Today there are only three registered Class B dealers, and one of them is being investigated by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.

“Careful scientists don’t associate with these dealers,” Pacelle wrote, “and the campaigning and exposés led by animal advocates weakened the dealers and shut off some of their sales routes.”

While this is good news, Class A dealers continue to breed dogs — particularly Beagles, because of their trusting personalities — to be used in biomedical research. Nonprofits like the Beagle Freedom Project are working to provide homes for these dogs after the research is completed, and are also advocating for alternative, dog-free ways to conduct the research in the first place.

Photo credit: United States Marine Corps

For the Second Time, Kohl’s Is Caught Selling Raccoon Dog Fur as ‘Faux’

UPDATE: Late yesterday, Kohl’s released a statement apologizing for selling the parka. “Kohl’s standard vendor terms require that all merchandise must be free of any real animal fur unless expressly authorized in writing by Kohl’s,” the company said. “No such authorization was given here. Once aware that the product was made with real fur, Kohl’s immediately removed the product from our website.” The stores will accept returns of the parkas “no questions asked,” but the statement didn’t mention if the purchase price would be fully refunded.

Twice within a year, the Kohl’s department store chain has been caught selling items with “faux” fur trimming that is actually made from raccoon dogs.

In 2013, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) busted Kohl’s for selling handbags whose trim was not “faux rabbit fur,” as the store advertised, but real raccoon dog fur.

“When our supporters called the company to urge a fur-free policy, Kohl’s chose instead to play games by changing its customer relations phone number and taking down its customer service web page, making it nearly impossible for people to voice their opinion,” wrote HSUS President Wayne Pacelle on his blog today.

In June of this year, the HSUS tested a men’s parka sold by Kohl’s. The “faux” fur on the collar turned out to be from raccoon dogs.

By selling real fur as “faux,” Kohl’s is breaking two federal laws. In online advertisements for fur products, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Fur Products Labeling Act requires retailers to provide the type of animal killed and the country in which it was killed. Another law, the FTC Act, prohibits “unfair or deceptive acts or practices” in commerce.

Kohl’s has not commented on this most recent discovery, but it is no longer selling the parka.

Unfortunately, Kohl’s is not the only retailer guilty of selling real fur as fake — and the FTC isn’t helping matters any.

“Last year, the FTC, the U.S. government agency charged with protecting consumers from deception, decided it would continue to use a bogus fur trade name — Asiatic raccoon — for raccoon dogs, a step that exacerbated consumer confusion and deception in the marketplace,” Pacelle wrote.

To make these fur products, millions of raccoon dogs, a member of the dog family, are raised in inhumane conditions in China and then skinned alive. It costs less to sell their pelts than to manufacture fake fur.

If you want to make sure a “faux” fur item is really fake, the HSUS recommends you do the following:

  • Check the base of the fur for skin or fabric. If you see threadwork from which the hairs emerge, it’s probably fake.
  • Check the tips of the fur for tapering. Fake fur generally doesn’t come to a a fine point, as the real deal does.
  • If you already own the item, remove a few of the hairs and burn them. Real fur smells like human hair when it’s burned.

Here’s a list of retailers, designers and brands that don’t use real fur. To urge Kohl’s to adopt a fur-free policy, call the company at 855-564-5705 and sign this HSUS online petition.

Photo via The Humane Society of the United States

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