Truth in advertising and HSUS
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, Jan/Feb 1998:
The Humane Society of the U.S. is to collect
“3-5% of all sales” of book, plush animal, and audiotape
packages produced by The Benefactory, of
Fairfield, Connecticut, inspired by “true stories about
real, living animals.” If any of the money gets back to
the rescue groups actually involved with each animal,
there seems to be no mention of it in the publicity package
ANIMAL PEOPLE received. Among the stories is
that of a dog saved by the Northeast Animal Shelter, a
no-kill high volume adoption facility––with no mention
that HSUS has crusaded against both no-kill sheltering
and high volume adoption for more than 40 years.
Wrote San Francisco SPCA president
Richard Avanzino on November 21 to Humane
Society of the U.S. president Paul Irwin, “In a recent
edition of your publication Animal Sheltering, devoted
to the no-kill debate, you admonish no-kill shelters that
failure to be forthright can create ‘false and harmful’
perceptions. You counsel against misrepresenting the
extent of the ‘surplus pet problem’ and stress the need
for everyone to be ‘fair and truthful.’ However, your
own publication states that ‘In the fiscal years 1993