Wayne Pacelle's 2009 Nightmares

Blunders Wayne Pacelle Wanted to Bury Not everything went according to plan in 2009 Showered in Shit in Louisville The resignation of Metro Louisville Animal Control Director Gilles Meloche became effective on December 31. Back in the day, Meloche was HSUS's fave candidate for the job. He'll soon blow town with his tail tucked between his legs, in a firestorm of charges involving animal abuse, sexual harassment, financial irregularities and demands for his prosecution. Parts of the animal control ordinance Meloche used like a weapon against Louisville citizens and their pets were struck down by a federal court judge earlier this year, and the decision may serve as a model for reform in other jurisdictions as pet owners compare the provisions of the discredited Louisville ordinance with their own. In a sworn deposition, HSUS's man in Louisville reminded the world of what HSUS stands for: negative profiling, the encouragement of discriminatory practices and the steady harvest of low-hanging fruit -- like pets belonging to the poor: On "poor people" and dog license compliance, Meloche stated under oath: They just don't license, period. On "poor people" and access to veterinary care: First, we know one thing, they barely go to veterinary clinics. On "poor people" and cruelty to animals: Most of the cruelty that I've seen --that we see are from, of course, poor neighborhood, and it's dynamic. But, hey, HSUS's Kentucky State Director Pam Rogers thinks Gilles Meloche is "easy to work with" and HSUS helped Metro Louisville write the ordinance that empowered him. I hear there are enough claims pending from Louisville pet owners who suffered irreparable harm under Meloche's tenure to sue Louisville back into the Stone Age. Will Wayne Pacelle assume responsibility for that train wreck of an ordinance, and that freak of an animal control director? Nursing Puppies "Too Dangerous" to Live In February of this year, animal lovers were shocked and then sickened as HSUS employees John Goodwin, Chris Schindler and Amanda Arrington insisted that 127 dogs seized in North Carolina pursuant to dogfight charges--including 60 puppies, some so young they were still nursing--had to die. HSUS personnel cynically testified that the dogs were "too dangerous" to live and claimed that it would cost $190,000 each to rehabilitate them. The authorities listened to HSUS. None of the dogs was evaluated for potential placement. They were all killed. Setting aside the gut-wrenching, heartless leadership role HSUS played in forcing the slaughter of innocent animals, the public relations blowback suffered by HSUS and its crew of Dog Fight Czars was instantaneous and unrelenting. No-Kill advocate Nathan Winograd called the massacre "The Death of Hope."

HSUS critics were so implacable that two months later HSUS was forced into orchestrating an "emergency summit" (and whitewash opportunity) for what it called "pit bull stakeholders" in Las Vegas. Pacelle announced a revised and enlightened position on pit bulls. . .and immediately got caught pushing a breed specific policy in Indianapolis.

Animal lovers--and bloggers--aren't fooled so easily. Not any more. When the HSUS donation machine attempted to usurp the story of "Faye" -- attempting to foist HSUS off as the benefactor of a pit bull injured by dogfighting and begging for cash from a trusting public -- outrage quickly followed. It's getting harder and harder to find a pit bull owner that thinks HSUS is friend. Pit bulls are the coalmine canaries in HSUS's extremist war against pets and the people who love them. HSUS's blunders and flailings this year made it clearer than ever. John Goodwin: Animal Theft Under Color of Law Documentation of HSUS's Dogfight Czar himself seizing friendly, happy dogs from the homes of innocent people broke in 2009. John Goodwin was caught on videotape, partnered up with private security firm Norred and Associates, the ASPCA, and local authorities, and raiding a home. Videos of the seizure of beautiful, healthy dogs from Joe Woodall in Gilmer County, Georgia remain up on You Tube for all to see. What do you call it when privately employed individuals working for a not-for-profit corporation instigate a raid of some one's property, seize well-cared for dogs, dump them in a dog pound 250 miles away. . . and then walk away? Woodall was never arrested, never charged with a crime. HSUS just showed up and took his dogs. It cost Joe more than he could afford in lawyer's bills and eight weeks of sleepless nights before he got his dogs back, and they were a mess when they finally returned to him. So, what's the word for that? I'm thinking "theft" hardly does the sequence of events justice. Quick note for the many people who have asked: More than a year since the raid, Joe reports that "Weeman" -- the puppy that came home with down pasterns after eight weeks on the dog pound's cement floor and incorrect food -- is doing much better. Handsome, athletic and playful Weeman and the Woodall family that loves him stand ready for the challenges 2010 will bring. Footloose and fancy free with the feds In late December the Spay and Neuter HSUS campaign was launched. The campaign is calling for the revocation of HSUS's tax-exempt, charitable designation due to its excessive lobbying activities. The campaign provides 14 pages of questionable HSUS tax filings, policies and activities and requests the IRS fraud division to investigate them. Want a piece of the action? Follow the link above. It's not too late to join the thousands of animal lovers everywhere who have written to the IRS and to their own federal representatives demanding answers. We look forward to a response at your earliest possibility, Wayne-o. This ain't over. Not even close. But the start of the new year is a good time to take stock. These were some of HSUS's failures and flailings that meant the most to me. Best wishes for the coming year to Blue Dog State readers. And a heartfelt flip of the bird to you, Wayne Pacelle.