OPINION:
Contrary to the premise of a recently published article (“Help a puppy, not a lobby,” Commentary, Nov. 9), the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) operates life-saving programs that help animals in all 50 states and several dozen countries. Animal shelters are the backbone of the humane movement, and people should support them generously.
The HSUS was founded by veterans of humane work who understood the urgent necessity of an organization that would tackle the large-scale national problems facing animals. We can’t rescue our way out of these problems, and we need to prevent animals from ending up in distress in the first place. We are the ones fighting the existence of puppy mills and trying to end animal suffering in intensive confinement systems used in agriculture. We are the ones trying to halt seal slaughter, trophy hunting of endangered species and many other cruelties that Americans do not condone.
The support of millions of people who understand and support our mission has made the HSUS one of the greatest examples of voluntary association in American history. We support pet-keeping and the human-animal bond, and our work against cruelty to animals is unmatched by that of any group in the world.
MICHAEL MARKARIAN
Chief operating officer
The Humane Society of the United States
Washington
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