Remember those commercials showing footage of dogs and cats living in deplorable conditions while singer Sarah McLachlan croons about being in the arms of an angel? There is a chance that you might have been moved to donate to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), the organization behind those ads.
A recent report might prompt those who supported the ASPCA to reconsider.
The ASPCA has been accused of sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars while giving only two percent of its budget to animal shelters, according to the Center for the Environment and Welfare (CEW). The group has launched a paid media campaign to expose the ASPCA’s priorities, which it claims are more focused on a radical political agenda and enriching itself than helping pets in need. The campaign currently includes a six-figure TV ad running nationally, a radio spot, and a digital ad on Twitter and Facebook.
The CEW released a report detailing its findings about how the ASPCA engages in practices some would find questionable at best. The authors wrote:
While nearly 1 million animals are euthanized each year in the U.S., the ASPCA is paying its executives huge salaries and sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars–including millions socked away in the Caribbean.
According to its most recent tax filings, in 2021 the ASPCA had $390 million in revenue and $575 million in assets, including $310 million in investments and $105 million in savings. The ASPCA has about $11 million in offshore accounts in the Caribbean.
The same filings show that only about 2% of the ASPCA’s budget is given as grants to community pet shelters. The ASPCA’s grants to pet shelters in 2021 are only about half of the money the ASPCA reported keeping in the Caribbean.
The CEWs report referred to a CBS News investigation that exposed the fact that the ASPCA “raised more than $2 billion for animal welfare” in 2008. However, it only spent about seven percent of the money that was donated to local animal welfare organizations. The organization shelled out $421 million on fundraising.
Even worse, Matt Bershadker, CEO of the ASPCA, has raked in quite a bit of dough while heading the operation. “ASPCA CEO “Million Dollar Matt” Bershadker makes $856,785 in base salary and another $108,740 in benefits. In total, 259 people at the ASPCA make six figures,” according to the CEW report.
Perhaps I’m in the wrong line of business, dear reader. After all, I do love dogs and money. Who doesn’t?
CEW executive director Jack Hubbard told Fox News that the organization is “concerned about misinformation and a lack of information about the true agenda of the ASPCA.”
“We’re trying to educate the public about who this group is and who it’s not,” he added.
“When you start sharing this information with people, especially animal lovers, they’re outraged,” Hubbard continued. “There’s a euthanasia crisis in this country, with more than a million animals killed, euthanized in the U.S. each year, and you’ve got this group sitting on $300 million in investments.”
The ASPCA also seems to be using its heavy funding for a radical political agenda to reimagine how America handles its food supply. Fox News noted that the organization “is leading a coalition of 40 animal rights groups in the lobbying push, dubbing this week ‘Protect Farm Animals Week of Action’ and calling on supports to contact members of Congress and take other actions to promote their agenda.”
The CEW’s report also features complaints from people who run local animal shelters.
“Ever since the ASPCA began to aggressively fund-raise several years ago, humane societies and SPCAs throughout the country have suffered,” said Erica Gaudet Hughes, executive director of the State Human Association of California. “Our member humane societies and SPCAs frequently report hearing from people who gave to the ASPCA believing they were giving to their local shelter. These shelters believe they are missing out on funds that were intended for them.”
Jo Sullivan, chief community and development officer at the Houston SPCA, echoed Hughes’ complaint. “[A] bulk of our time and our staff time is spent trying to explain the difference between national and local. We need our donors and the people in our community to know where their money is going,” she said.
The ASPCA is a well-known animal welfare organization that has supposedly been advocating for animal rights and promoting animal welfare for over a century. However, many have criticized the organization over the years for how it conducts its operations. Aside from its shady fundraising practices and lack of support for local shelters, the group has taken fire for euthanizing animals despite claiming to rescue them. Indeed, there have been several cases where the organization has killed dogs and other animals in its care.
While the organization claims to be against euthanasia, they have been known to euthanize animals in many cases, particularly those with severe medical issues or aggressive behavior. Some critics argue that the ASPCA should prioritize efforts to provide medical treatment and behavior modification training to animals, rather than resorting to euthanasia.
Another concern is that the ASPCA engages in legal battles over custody of animals, which can be emotionally draining for both the animals and their owners. Some people argue that the organization should focus on finding more amicable solutions, such as mediation or cooperation with other animal welfare organizations, rather than pursuing legal action. Indeed, this is a common practice for some organizations – they use their wealth and connections to local authorities to extort everyday citizens into giving up their animals. I covered one such case occurring in Arkansas.
The bottom line is that many of these organizations that claim to care for animals are not what they seem. They play off of the fact that the majority of people do not want to see animals being mistreated. While many are doing good work, others are corrupt to their core and are only concerned with raising money by any means necessary. This story further illustrates why it is essential to fully research any charitable organization you are considering working with.
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