Posted on 12/28/2009 7:35:30 AM PST by Still Thinking
The so-called “Humane Society” of the United States (HSUS) has once again proven why its name – which conjures up images of saving helpless pets – isn’t deserved. A new Baltimore Sun investigation reveals that the 19 horses HSUS and Baltimore city officials confiscated last month from "A-rabbers" (street peddlers who sell produce in urban neighborhoods) have been penned up in unsanitary conditions and mostly forgotten about. Can someone tell us what's so “humane” about that?
On November 10, Baltimore Health Department officials – with HSUS spurring them on – seized 19 healthy horses owned by these streetcart operators from their stable in southwest Baltimore. They were then moved to a rat-infested tent under a bridge shared by 51 other ponies that the city confiscated in 2007.
But Bob Wood, a Baltimore veteran of training horses for polo, grew suspicious while viewing photos of these most recently seized horses. After looking into it further, Wood couldn’t disguise his disgust when talking to the Sun:
At the time the horses were seized, the Humane Society of the United States said "many of the horses were suffering from medical ailments including parasite infestation, malnutrition and extremely overgrown hooves."Mr. Wood says that's an exaggeration, and that the words "parasite" and "malnutrition" appear nowhere on the citations against [horse owners] Mr. Savoy and the Chases. After reviewing the documents, Mr. Wood concluded that only two animals had serious problems. Most of the violations were innocuous, he says, or the kind of things common to stables.
Mr. Wood, who has trained horses for polo and cross-country jumping for 40 years, says the city has "moved the goal posts" on what traditionally constitutes mistreatment to shutter a stable, and horse owners everywhere should be concerned. "If [city health officials] move the standard from real neglect – malnutrition, abuse, lameness – to this kind of stuff," Mr. Wood says, "then anyone can have their horses taken from them."
HSUS has a history of making promises it can’t (or won’t) keep. In 2005, shortly after Hurricane Katrina hit, HSUS launched an aggressive fundraising appeal to save the hurricane-orphaned pets. Yet an Atlanta TV news team found that the group could account for less than $7 million of the $34 million it raised in Katrina’s name. This prompted an 18-month-long investigation by the Louisiana Attorney General.
That news report, which aired on WSB-TV in May, asked some pretty inconvenient questions about where donations to HSUS really end up. (Hint: Hardly any of the cash benefits homeless cats and dogs.)
HSUS is currently trying to raise $1 million for its "Animal Survivors Fund" by December 31, yet it didn’t see fit to use any of its $162 million in net assets (including over $49 million in cash) to provide adequate shelter for the Baltimore horses it has already displaced. (Yes, HSUS is already that rich. See page 11 of this PDF if you're curious.)
Not all save-the-animals charities are created equal. And at least one of them has some serious explaining to do.
HSUS is a scam. The local Humane shelters in cities do good work, but they aren’t under HSUS.
HSUS had a bad reputation thirty five years go, along with Friends of Animals and Fund for Animals.
The only one I heard anything good about was the ASPCA.
I notice HSUS advertizes a lot on FOX and other stations.
Aren’t they the ones that do the incredibly heart-wrenching ads with the starving cat?
Horse - it’s what’s for dinner.
“Despite the words “humane society” on its letterhead, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is not affiliated with your local animal shelter. Despite the omnipresent dogs and cats in its fundraising materials, it’s not an organization that runs spay/neuter programs or takes in stray, neglected, and abused pets...Instead, HSUS spends millions on programs that seek to economically cripple meat and dairy producers; eliminate the use of animals in biomedical research labs; phase out pet breeding, zoos, and circus animal acts; and demonize hunters as crazed lunatics.”
http://www.activistcash.com/organization_overview.cfm/oid/136
Agree on all counts.
I know, they’re leftists and liars (but I repeat myself). That’s why if I see anything tending to expose them I post it.
Judging by the conduct noted in the article, THEY’RE probably the ones that starved it. “Well, you know, the suffering of one cat will help thousands of other animals, or, well, at least help our bank account”
“Leftist, the other white meat”
The ASPCA has begun carrying water for H$U$.
I worked for one. Sons would bring in their aged mothers cats for adoption. They would be put to sleep. People would bring their pets for cremation and want the ashes back. The ashes were from many cremated animals in a pile.
***The ASPCA has begun carrying water for H$U$. ***
How the mighty have fallen! the ASPCA used to be a really honest animal welfare group!
I remember another group (I can’t remember the name)out of Sacaamento CA about 42 years ago that used sick animals in their adds for money.
They collected millions before someone noticed none of the money went to animal welfare but into the pockets of the directors.
It’s a good business if you really don’t want to work for a living! Just put out a magazine add requesting donations to “help”_____(fill n the blank!)______.
poverty law centers,
Social Justice centers.
Peace and Justice groups.
Animal welfare.
Gun control.
save the sea creatures.
Save the montaine forests.
Save the parks.
save the poor.
Save the homeless.
Save...Oh well, you get the idea!
Make sure you have a violin player to set the sad tone!
And - hey! - you can save $ (so the directors can have even MORE - by using the same photos over and over..... say, use the pictures of the Katrina dogs again as the Vick's dogs....
I work at the HSUS and can tell you that the horses were immediately transported to a horse sanctuary/rescue in Maryland. Below is a response from the HSUS to Dan Rodicks opinion piece, which will hopefully clarify some of the misinformation in the opinion piece above.
In his opinion piece “Questionable claims leave a-rabbers idle” (Dec. 22) Dan Rodricks relies heavily on the second-hand analysis of an uninvolved person from out of state to call into question the validity of Baltimore City’s recent action to remove horses from a neglectful situation — when he should have taken the time to review veterinary records or other first-hand source material and talked to officials who were actually on the scene, not on the sidelines.
Last month, The Humane Society of the United States was asked by Baltimore City officials to assist with the removal of 19 horses — some owned by local produce vendors known as a-rabs — that were living in temporary tents underneath the Monroe Street Bridge.
When The HSUS arrived on the scene, it was clear that proper care of the horses had been lacking for a significant period of time. The smell of urine and feces was overpowering; some of the horses were standing in manure so deep, it was difficult to open their stall doors.
The stable was infested with rats; feed and water buckets were filthy. Many of the horses were so hungry, they were eating their manure-covered bedding.
Every horse was suffering from a hoof condition known as thrush, caused by lack of regular care and unsanitary living conditions. Several had untreated wounds; several were underweight; others suffered from obvious lameness that required veterinary attention. All these findings are supported by veterinary and farrier assessments that were completed immediately following the removal of the horses.
Although not every horse confiscated in this case was starving to death, starvation is not the only form of neglect and cruelty to horses. While the imposition of any criminal or civil penalties is under the jurisdiction of the city, these horses were clearly suffering from a lack of basic care, ranging from hoof and wound care to proper nutrition, appropriate bedding and access to clean water.
Both Maryland and Baltimore City have clear regulations related to the proper care of horses, and it is a horse owner’s responsibility to provide that basic care. Although the structure and conditions of the stable area were substandard, the owners of the animals could still have provided their animals with the minimum care required to comply with humane standards. They did not. These horses are now being housed at Days End Farm Horse Rescue where they are receiving proper care and continue to recover every day. We commend city officials for taking action to provide these horses with relief and a second chance at a new life.
Keith Dane, Washington
The writer is director of equine protection for the Humane Society of the United States.
(reposted)
I’m a bit confused. Can you explain the situation a little plainer? It appears from the initial story that the horses were living in a stable and moved to a “tent under a bridge”.
In your reply to the story, the horses were removed by HSUS from “temporary tents underneath the Monroe Street Bridge” to “a horse sanctuary/rescue in Maryland.”
This is where the story is unclear. Were the horses moved from a stable to the tent by the city and then moved from the tent to the sanctuary by HSUS? Or were they originally housed in the tent?
What date(s) were each of the moves made?
Anyone want to bet, the requested information will not be posted?
Just another HSUS hack trying to muddy the water.
Basically put simply, in 2007 the horses were being kept in a condemned stable building. The city removed them from that site, and split them into 2 different locations, 19 horses were moved in 2007 to these tents under the bridge, (basically, returned to arabbers but moved to a different location).
While the conditions of the tent stables were substandard, the owners still failed to provide basic care to the horses (such as clean bedding, proper health care, food water etc)
In November of this year, HSUS was called by local authorities because concerns for the well being of the horses had come up again. When HSUS arrived, the horses were in these tents in the above mentioned bad conditions HSUS assisted in the handling and transport of the horses, to Days End Horse Farm, which is a local horse sanctuary/rescue.
The vets on scene were not employed by HSUS (they received no payment from HSUS).
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