HSUS ~ Humane Society of the United States is "the nation's largest animal protection organization. A voice for animals, with active programs in companion animals, wildlife and habitat protection, animals in research, and farm animals. Our mission is to celebrate animals and confront cruelty. To protect all animals through legislation, litigation, investigation, education, science, advocacy and field work"
Humane Society of the United States is not affiliated with your local animal shelter. It does not run spay/neuter programs or takes in stray, neglected, and abused pets.
This organization helps animals in an indirect way by giving our animals a voice NATIONALLY.
The history of the HSUS was founded on the same values and beliefs that originated from the 1800's.
The 1860's started a whirlwind of debate over the rights of animals and how they should be treated.
Humane Societies were forming all over the state because the world wanted a more humane society.....
The American Humane Association was one such group that was formed. The AHA worked hard for more than 65 years to help animals throughout the United States.
But in 1954, an issue arose among its members. There was great debate about animals that were abandoned at animal shelters and had little to no hope of being adopted.
Some members of the AHA wanted those animals turned over to laboratories for research. Others felt that was cruel and went against what they were fighting for -- those members broke off from the AHA and started their own organization, thus the formation of:
THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES
Founder and The Early Years
The HSUS was co-founded in 1954 by a man named Fred Myers and three other visionaries who left the AHA hoped to form a strong humane organization that would recognize and work to eliminate all forms of cruelty and injustice to animals.
Fred Myers was a strong unionist who helped to organize workers in the newspaper industry during the 1930s. He joined the American Humane Association in 1952 and was editor of AHA's National Humane Review.
Myers loved working and writing for the "Humane Review", but when a dispute over an article that needed to be written on the issue of shelter animals being used for research, Myers held his ground. Ultimately, he left the AHA in a dispute over censorship of his writings on the topic.
Myers and his staff investigated conditions at a variety of institutions, such as visiting horse shows, public pounds, rodeos, slaughterhouses and specifically use of animals in labs. They did this to document neglect and mistreatment in the care and use of animals.
In early 1960 he and staff member Philip Colwell helped Mississippi law enforcement authorities to infiltrate a gang of dog-fighters.
On another occasion, he swore out a complaint against the dog warden of Rock ville, Maryland, for firing four pistol shots into a dog and allowing the animal to suffer for 30 minutes until county police officers came and ended the dog's agony with a single bullet.
In 1961, A five-year investigation in the dog trading business paid off. In February 1966 Life Magazine published photos of a raid conducted on a Maryland dog dealer’s premises.
The "Life" spread sparked outrage, and tens of thousands of Americans wrote to their congressional representatives, demanding action to protect animals and prevent pet theft.
LIFE's February 4, 1966 issue landed on newsstands and in mailboxes across the United States, with the cover's warning "YOUR DOG IS IN CRUEL DANGER"
That summer the U.S. Congress approved the Laboratory Animal Welfare Act, only the second major federal humane law passed since World War II.
Mission and Goals
Celebrating Animals, Confronting Cruelty
"The mission of the HSUS is to create a humane and sustainable world for all animals—a world that will also benefit people. They seek to forge a lasting and comprehensive change in human consciousness of and behavior toward all animals in order to prevent animal cruelty, exploitation, and neglect and to protect wild habitats and the entire community of life.
They seek to achieve their goals through education, advocacy, public policy reform, and the empowerment of our supporters and partners. They do not engage in or support actions that are illegal or violent or that run counter to the basic principles of compassion and respect for others"
~ HumaneSociety.Org ~
Work Continues
A work in progress, the HSUS never sleeps.
Campaigns and strategies are always in the works, new issues, topics, new laws to be passed. Here are some examples:
Help to provide shelter standards and evaluations, training programs, direct support, and national conferences
Help with worldwide investigations
They work with advocates in every state in the country to pass laws to improve the lives of animals.
Provide education through multimedia. Visit the Animal Channel, subscribe to their bi-monthly publication called "Animal Sheltering Magazine" for shelters, veterinarian offices, rescue sites, anyone and everyone who works to help our animals or visit the Animal Care Expo.
Emergency service teams are available to rescue animals (Hurricane Katrina)in disasters or wherever and whenever needed.
Wildlife programs to defend ALL creatures in the wild.
Help to decrease and eliminate harm to animals used in research and testing through policy efforts, working with scientists, and with public outreach.
The Genesis Awards pays tribute to the major news and entertainment media for producing outstanding works that raise public awareness of animal issues.
Campaigns
The HSUS's current major campaigns target five issues:
Animal welfare has come so far, with continued compassion and support from communities and people like you and me, our animals will one day live in a world of no pain, no suffering, and live happily ever after.