Recently it was made public that Petsmart has contributed $15,000 to the HSUS to fund a spay/neuter program in several states.
News article in DVM magazine
Many of you might at first applaud the efforts of Petsmart to reduce the overpopulation of cats and dogs. Let's look at the big picture for a second and see the inevitable result of this donation.
As we all know, the HSUS is opposed to our keeping of reptiles in captivity. We must remember that ANY donation made to the HSUS, no matter how worthy the intended cause, will in turn free up funds that the HSUS can apply toward furthering their agenda in other areas.
Look at it this way, the $15,000 donated by Petsmart means the HSUS has an extra $15,000 in their coffers to use in lobbying your congressman to take away your ability to keep your reptiles.
Here is a copy of Petsmarts's standard response to an inquiry about their sizable contribution to the HSUS.
Thank you for bringing your cares and concerns to our attention. It was a pleasure to speak with you today.
As a general rule, PETsMART Charities does not support wildlife or endangered species programs. PETsMART Charities funding and support is targeted at animal welfare groups with a life saving mission. Although we may not agree with 100 percent of what an organization represents, if a project meets our grant guidelines and saves the lives of homeless pets, the grant may be approved for the particular issue.
The $15,000 grant to HSUS focused on reducing pet overpopulation and saving lives by spaying and neutering pets. The grant funds the Appalachian Rural Area Veterinary Clinic program, that will provide 36 free spay and neuter clinics and pet care sessions to more than 3,400 pets during the next year. The Appalachian Rural Area Veterinary Clinic Program is a collaborative program of the HSUS and the Southern Ohio Humane Organizations.
To guarantee that funding is used to help save pets lives, each grant is reviewed and researched before approval. At the conclusion of the program, the group is required to provide PETsMART Charities with a final report detailing the impact, results and budget information. PETsMART Charities is expecting a final report on the Appalachian Rural Area Veterinary Clinic spay and neuter program in the fall 2003.
In 1994, PETsMART Charities was created as a non-profit organization dedicated to saving the lives of homeless pets. PETsMART Charities has given nearly $22 million to support the lifesaving work of animal welfare organizations and helped save the lives of more than 1.4 million once-homeless pets.
To find out more about PETsMART Charities and the grant process, please visit our web site at www.petsmart.com/charities/petsmart_charities/index.sphtml.
Sincerely,
Daniel Tisch
PETsMART
Store Operations
1-800-738-1385 ext. 2513
dtisch@ssg.petsmart.com
The irony of it is, while they do indeed have good intentions, they are also supporting an organization whose goals, if realized, will seriously damage their own buisness.
PetCo is also in bed with the "Great Satan" of the pet industry. They are sponsors of the National Association for Humane and Environmental Education (NAHEE) Adopt a Teacher program. This program operates in 500 schools nationwide and is dedicated to bringing the animal rights agenda of the HSUS to children kindergarten through 6th grade. Note the below article:
Pet Supply Company Partners with Anti's in the Classroom
Pet supply retail giant PETCO is working in partnership with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the nation’s largest anti-hunting group, to bring the animal rights message to school children across the country. The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance demands that this relationship be terminated.
The PETCO Foundation, the charitable arm of PETCO Animal Supplies, Inc., is sponsoring the HSUS’s National Association for Humane and Environmental Education (NAHEE) Adopt a Teacher program in 500 elementary schools across the country. The program is part of HSUS’s plan to introduce children, grades kindergarten through six, to the animal rights movement.
The Adopt a Teacher program places the HSUS publication Kids In Nature’s Defense (KIND) News into the hands of teachers and students on a monthly basis during the school year. It provides classrooms with materials that promote the HSUS and its agenda, which is to eliminate animal use including hunting, fishing and trapping.
The HSUS is on record in opposition to all hunting. The animal rights organization calls hunting “fundamentally at odds with the values of a humane, just and caring society,” and has been the principal opponent of hunters and trappers in dozens of campaigns in the 50 state legislatures, in Congress, in the courts and in over a dozen voter issues.
Despite HSUS’s anti-hunting and anti-animal use agenda, PETCO Foundation’s Director Paul Jolly is pleased with PETCO’s partnership with the group. He says the PETCO Foundation is “proud to be able to support the NAHEE’s KIND News campaign.”
Sportsmen have seen similar situations before. A company, with which millions of sportsmen and sportswomen do business, agrees to partner with HSUS without considering the complete agenda of the organization. The fact that PETCO is bringing HSUS directly to America’s children makes the situation a true crisis.
“Businesses tend to be uneducated about the real intentions of groups like the Humane Society of the United States,” said U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance President Walter P. Pidgeon. “The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance calls on sportsmen to speak in defense of their hunting, fishing and trapping heritage. Let PETCO know that it is unacceptable for a business to help bring the anti-hunting sentiment of the animal rights movement into America’s classrooms.”
Take Action! Sportsmen should contact PETCO and let the company know that its support of an animal rights group that is working to end America’s outdoor heritage is unacceptable. Contact Brian Devine, President & CEO, PETCO Animal Supplies, Inc., 9125 Rehco Rd., San Diego, CA 92121. Phone: (858) 453-7845 ext. 3046 Fax: (858) 453-6585.
The above article reprinted courtesy of the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, http://www.ussportsmen.org/
Hunters and Sportsman nationwide are also rightfully outraged at the news of these pet chains supporting a sworn enemy of pet keepers. Regardless of your position on hunting and fishing, they are facing the same strategic attack from the HSUS as we are. Hunters are also pet keepers, particularly so with bird hunters who use retrievers to aid them on the hunt. These people also often frequent the pet stores just as we herpers do.
I encourage all herpers to make the descision to no longer support either Petsmart or PetCo, and to also make your reasons known to them. Merely not shopping at their stores any longer isn't enough, they must be informed by all who are willing the exact reason you are no longer going to patronize their stores. Only when they see a real potential of profit loss will they discontinue their support of the HSUS.
Direct your comments concerning Petsmart to:
Philip Francis, President & CEO, PETsMART, Inc.
19601 N. 27th Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85027
Phone: (800) 738-1385 ext. 2513
Fax: (623) 580-6518
The executive director of Petsmart Charities is:
Joyce Briggs
19601 N. 27th Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85027
1-800-423-PETS or 623-587-2832
Fax: 623-580-6561
www.petsmartcharities.org
You can write or call PetCo at:
Brian Devine, President & CEO, PETCO Animal Supplies, Inc.
9125 Rehco Rd. San Diego, CA 92121
Phone: (858) 453-7845 ext. 3046
Fax: (858) 453-6585
PetCo also has a charity arm, they can be contacted at:
Petco Foundation
Paul Jolly, Director
37262 North Rosemead Blvd.
San Gabriel, CA 91775
626-287-0952
Fax: 626-287-9704
E-mail: petcofoundation@petco.com
We must take every opportunity to keep funds out of the hands of organizations like the HSUS and Peta. Their bank accounts are their lifeline, if they are cut off the organization can no longer function and will cease to be a threat to our hobby.