The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is changing its name and those of its operating units on February 14, when it will become known as Humane World for Animals.
The following commentary on the name change was written by Jack Hubbard, executive director of the Center for the Environment and Welfare (CEW), and an owner and partner at Berman and Co., and originally appeared in the Washington Times:
Why is the Humane Society of the United States changing its name?
Some companies rebrand in the aftermath of the scandal to rebuild trust in the eyes of the public. The name change of the private military contractor, Blackwater, after the deaths of civilians overseas, is one high-profile example. But the latest entity to deploy the strategy might surprise you. It’s one of the country’s most well-known national animal charities.
The Humane Society of the United States announced that in February, it will change its name to “Humane World for Animals.” The decision is curious given that the organization rakes in roughly $170 million a year in donations — a hefty chunk of change that could be compromised from weaker name recognition.
So, the question is: Why? One reason may be because this animal group has been dogged by scandal.
In 2010, Humane Society of the United States CEO Wayne Pacelle told the media that he thought convicted dogfighter Michael Vick “would do a good job as a pet owner.” The comment, which understandably sparked a backlash, came after Mr. Vick’s post-prison employer, the Philadelphia Eagles, made a $50,000 “grant” to the organization.
A year later, Rep. Billy Long — now President Trump’s nominee for IRS commissioner — pressed federal officials to investigate the Humane Society of the United States. Though the group ultimately escaped an IRS crackdown, the scrutiny from federal lawmakers was enough to raise eyebrows.
The group covered part of a $25 million federal lawsuit settlement three years later. The Humane Society of the United States was sued under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act for bribery, obstruction of justice and fraud.
Fast-forward to 2018, and Mr. Pacelle once again found himself in (boiling) hot water. He was forced to resign from leadership after being accused of sexual harassment. After the scandal, one board member blew off the allegations, saying, “We didn’t hire him to be a choir boy.”
The Humane Society of the United States has nearly $400 million in investments, including $100 million in offshore accounts. It’s sitting on a huge rainy day fund while hundreds of thousands of dogs and cats are euthanized each year. Despite its name and advertisements mainly featuring cats and dogs, the group does not run a single pet shelter and reports giving less than 1% of its yearly budget to pet shelters via financial grants.
It’s a reality that understandably gets local humane societies riled up.
A 2023 poll of pet shelter operators found that 64% of respondents believe that name confusion between national groups and local pet shelters leads to fewer donations. Eight in 10 Americans have acknowledged that they wrongly believe the Humane Society of the United States is an umbrella organization for local humane societies that share its name but have no affiliation.
Despite the real-world experience of local shelters seeing name confusion cost them donations, the Humane Society of the United States previously called such concerns a “contrivance.” However, it’s singing a different tune, finally acknowledging that the “‘humane society’ term … is more associated with local animal shelters.” That’s nice — but words are cheap, especially after the organization has vacuumed millions out of local communities.
Suppose the Humane Society of the United States truly wants to make things right. In that case, it should immediately distribute its hundreds of millions of dollars in investments to local pet shelters and abandon its radical anti-farmer agenda.
