Photo credit: Kathy Milani/The HSUS
Gayla’s Poodle Palace in Sparta TN was less palace, more hovel as the seat of an internet and newspaper puppy mill fraud on the public. White County Sheriff’s Department called in HSUS to lead the rescue work . More than 200 dogs were rescued from a small home originally reported by concerned neighbors to be living in unsanitary conditions and in need of medical care.
This is great work and we all love that the dogs are getting cleaned up and provided the medical help they need, en route to being transferred to local shelters for eventual adoption. There is something HSUS could do this time that they have not in previous busts: Help promote the shelters who take the dogs, name them on their site, and mention them in their TV ads – HSUS can always refer people to their website where they name the vital partners involved. That would be the transparency and leadership that would make a fundamental difference, especially to the shelters working the problem. The fundraising part of HSUS operations is where most criticism of the organization originates. This was one of my New Year’s wishes that I had not had a chance to publish.
Thirteen States have passed laws to try to crack down on the puppy mills according to HSUS. Please don’t buy your pets at pet shops. This just perpetuates the business of creating factory puppies and kitties. Supply and demand is all they understand.
(Source: Unleashed Baltimore Sun Blog)
Related articles: Puppy Mills and Commercial Breeders Defined To All Pet Shop Shoppers – Stop
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I hope your wish comes true, but I won't be holding my breath.
Well, just thought I'd try a quiet approach on a Sunday:) Shedding the grasping, greedy fundraising reputation they have (using Fay in a fundraising commercial saying her bills were so expensive, when another shelter had custody & financial responsibility for the dog) will take what to them may seem a radical approach. Seems natural, simple and humane to me. How does helping promote the shelters who partner in this work hurt them? It doesn't. It helps the animals and they get seen as all around "good guys." They've made some big strides recently, like changing thinking on MSN and reversing their views on no-kill. Just thowing this into the mix:)
All major groups need to see things differently and consider how taking off institutional blinders can help them accomplish more. so pointedly evident when they used Fay, who was being taken care of and paid for by a shelter, to fundraise for HSUS. It was so bad and obviously over the legal line HSUS had to cut that part of the ad out of the commercial.
How about posting on the interet the names of the businesses that bought the puppies? Soft of like how some cities post the names of Johns in prostitution busts. Now that would be some transparency!
Ha, good idea, Rod! HSUS did something like that when they took down Petland, naming them as a company who received over 95% of their "live stock" from Hunte Corp, a mega corporation in the factory farming business of producing puppies by the truckload. I wrote a post on that last year.
I'm just amused that the local animal enforcement had to be told about 200 dogs living in one house. You think they would have just been able to follow their noses to stench from the yard. Gross.
Ha! That's the truth! Can you imagine being a neighbor?? Thanks for the astute observation, Karen:)
Hi Mary – We absolutely agree that our organization needs to be promoting/publicizing the shelters that accept dogs from puppy mills cases (or any other large-scale cruelty case). Our standard practice is to list the names of participating shelters in our website stories and to include these groups in our press releases and media events. For example, the Anti-Cruelty Society in Chicago has accepted 80+ dogs from the Tennessee case, and yesterday a joint media advisory prompted strong local coverage for the shelter. Also check outhttp://www.humanesociety.org/news/dispatch/2010/0… The list of groups taking in dogs is at the bottom of the story below the video.
These investigations couldn't be successful without the generous cooperation of local (and further afield) shelters, and we greatly appreciate their assistance.
Hi Hillary, and thanks for providing this information. I was thinking of the more unusual step of including their names in your fundraising commercials so that they become very public partners in the two missions that are being served. I know this is counter-intuitive. It's why I said it was radical. This would have a high impact value especially for the smaller shelters located in poor areas of the country that could use the boost, and it would do a service to general interest in adopting. There's the added benefit of identifying on an ongoing basis which groups handle these dogs, you could provide and control a badge for the websites of groups who are your partners and that would have an ongoing benefit for them.
It's always good to show how you work in your own industry with other groups and since you are the biggest group with the widest reach it's something that works to enhance HSUS's brand. The fundraising commercials have been the source of the most controversy for some time now, and it seems to me to be the most direct route to changing minds and perceptions. Thanks again for stopping by.
Hi Mary – I’ll pass along your feedback. I think the bigger picture issue for our organization is that, as you probably know, our involvement with shelters is only one part of our broader mission, which includes tackling lab animal welfare, trophy hunting, marine mammal protection, factory farming, and so on. I believe our television ads reflect this diversity. The most recent one I saw was featured on Animal Planet and included images of cows, horses, and seals, as well as pit bulls scarred by dogfighting and dogs removed from puppy mills. All of these animals are related to core HSUS campaigns and deserve to be well-funded too.
Yes, now the bulk of HSUS commercials are showing all the different things the organization does for animals, although I don't think this has always been the case. I agree national and international programs need to be funded. I also believe that by sharing the limelight in those commercials, even if partners are listed on a footer in readable size print, is excellent good will and serves the greater good for animals. Just one blogger's take.
We got one of the poodles.he is so pitiful malnourished and weak he doesn’t even know what to do with himself outside a cage.they should charge the woman for every dime of expense even though shed never pay a penny.she knew exactly what she was doing;trying to breed the perfect teacup and boxing up the “culls”.one good thing out of this is that maybe some great people who might not be able to afford to buy a poodle can give an awsome dog a good home
Thanks for your comment, Steven, and welcome! I just came back from taking an update on the puppies shipped to Anti-Cruelty in Chicago and I spoke with the President there who is also a vet. – I'll be uploading that tomorrow (Saturday). The poodles and poodle mixes I saw were just the sweetest although a few were fearful…for now anyway. I agree it would be great if people could get vet expenses from this person. Thanks for stopping by and thanks for sharing your story.