Think Globally, Donate Locally

In a continuation of yesterday's post, Animal Rescue:  Whom Do You Trust?, I return to the question of which humane/rescue organizations are doing what we want them to do with the money we are donating.

This subject had been lurking under the covers of my thoughts for awhile; but it was brought squarely to the fore by the Facebook post by Ryan Clinton about PETA's desire to destroy all pit-bull type dogs. I don't know Ryan; but his words hold much wisdom, and his credentials appear to be stellar. He is an appellate attorney in Austin, TX with Hankinson Levinger, an advocate for no-kill animal rescue/shelters (winning the Henry Bergh Leadership Award in 2009 for leading a campaign to pass Austin's first ever No Kill Equation ordinance), and a blogger on "O Is for Onward", as well as the author of No Kill Advocacy Center's recent publication on personal steps to achieving community animal reform. (See 20 Easy-to-Read Pages that Could Save Thousands of Lives.)

In the comments in the aforementioned FB post, someone asked him, "Are there any more groups we should be leary of? Support?" His response was, "My belief is that everyone should fully investigate any non-profit organization, and be sure that organization shares your beliefs, before giving them money. Ultimately, for me, that means mostly giving locally to charities I can keep an eye on. I also give to the No Kill Advocacy Center because I know exactly what they do."

For an extremely well-written and eye-opening account of how some of the national "big names" are falling short of what we should not only expect, but demand of them, see Ryan's blog piece, Choose Your Charity Wisely.

It convinced me that I will not be providing any future support to PETA, HSUS, or ASPCA and will be giving those funds to the Dane County Humane Society, where I have personally witnessed their effective efforts in rescuing domesticated animals of every imaginable stripe--as well as a significant spectrum of wildlife--as they get closer to their goal of becoming a no-kill shelter.