I think it’s safe to say that here on the Razz we’ve been quite thorough with our coverage of both the HSUS and the Michael Vick dogfighting case. Therefore, I am not at all surprised to hear that the animal advocacy organization has agreed to let Vick join their thriving dogfighting campaign.

According to HSUS President Wayne Pacelle:

“I sat with the man, but I still don’t know what’s in his heart. He told me he did terrible things to dogs. He said he grew up with dogfighting as a boy, and that he never sufficiently questioned it as he grew into manhood.

He said this experience has been a trauma and he’s changed forever. And he said he wants to show the American public that he is committed to helping combat this problem. He asked for an opportunity to help. I want to give him that opportunity.”

Personally, I believe that now Michael Vick has served his sentence he should be given a fair opportunity to prove his rehabilitation. Freedom lies in education and I’m optimistic that he has the potential to reach the millions who still condone this thoughtless abuse. In short: I’m excited to hear this news.

What do YOU think? Are you happy to see this partnership or are you still weary of Vick’s motives? Chime in and share your thoughts.

To read Wayne’s entire piece on the issues, visit HSUS.org!

Under Pacelle’s direction, the HSUS has achieved massive victories for animals throughout the world and will celebrate some of those triumphs on March 28th at the 23rd annual Genesis Awards. Ecorazzi recently had the chance to sit down with El Presidente and pick his brain. Check out the interview below! 

Ecorazzi: You’ve been involved with the HSUS for 15 years. How did you first become interested in animal welfare issues?

Wayne Pacelle: You know I think I was genetically programmed to advocate for animals. It was always a very powerful emotional feeling that we should not misuse our power in our relationship with other animals. I never imagined it as a profession, but my volunteer work led to employment and here I am at the HSUS and it’s a real privilege to be able to work for the nation’s largest animal protection group.

E: The HSUS just announced that JCPenney agreed to go fur-free. Tell me about how your organization played a part in that.

WP: We did a major set of investigations into some really troubling aspects of the fur industry. One was we looked in China and found that millions of dogs and cats were being killed for their fur and it was finding it’s way into fur trim. So that decreased confidence in fur trim. A lot of people had thought, “No big deal it’s just a little bit of fur,” but when we brought up that dog and cat fur was being used it suddenly became much more radioactive from a moral perspective.

Then we also did an investigation into the killing of these Raccoon Dogs – which are canine type wild animals that are used in fur production in China as well as Finland and some other countries. We saw some really inhumane killing methods and brought that to the attention of JCPenney and other major retailers. I really think that information was decisive in JCPenney deciding to forgo the use of fur.

E: The HSUS has certainly seen their fair share of victories. What would you say has been your proudest achievement at the HSUS?

WP: There are so many things that I’m proud of, and more importantly happy that animals have had suffering relieved. The banning of cockfighting in all 50 states was a personal goal of mine, and also making all animal fighting a felony – that was a big moment.

But I have to say that Prop 2 is certainly among the most important victories because it showed that the public is concerned about the welfare of farm animals. Many people thought the public’s compassion for animals might be limited to companion animals or wildlife and not farm animals.

E: Still, would you say there remains a large disconnect between our love for animals and what we choose to put on our plates?

WP: There’s no question. We as individuals and as a society have long disregarded our own involvement in contributing to animal suffering through our diet. I mean today most animal-products that people consume are coming from factory farms. The animals are inhumanely treated on these operations and thought of just as meat, milk and egg producing machines. So yes, I do think there’s a disconnect. That’s one of the reasons the HSUS exist. We attempt to apply anti-cruelty standards in people’s lives and hold corporations to the same standards as well.

E: The Genesis Awards are taking place in about 2 weeks. Can you give us any inside gossip on some things we might expect to see this year?

WP: Well, we’re very excited about Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi coming to the Genesis Awards and receiving the Wyler Award — the highest Genesis honor. We’re just excited to celebrate so many people who’ve used their talents to illuminate these important issues.

E: If you had to choose, who would you say has been the most outspoken celebrity for animal-issues this year?

WP: I think Oprah and Ellen both took it to another level in 2008. Oprah did a full show on Prop 2 and a series of shows on puppy mills. Ellen was centrally involved in Prop 2 and devoted several of her shows to animal issues. I think both of them really stepped up this year.  In fact, I just got an email from a friend in Madagascar who saw me on Oprah’s show about puppy mills. So they’re not just important cultural forces in the United States, but globally, and they’re doing their part to help spread the word about animal issues.

E: Over the past year Nigel Barker has become a good friend of the site. We’re really proud of the work that both he and your organization are doing with the Canadian Seal Hunt. I know the hunt begins again in less than two weeks. What’s the latest update on your group’s effort to try and end the seal hunt in Canada?

WP: Nigel is another celebrity who’s going to be at Genesis and we’re really excited to recognize him as well.

We are making progress on the hunt. We are really doing well in Europe in our efforts to try and ban seal skins from coming into the entire European union. We’re also very pleased that Vladimir Putin in Russia is condemning seal hunting and hopefully will ban Canadian seal pelts as well. All of these things are important to choke off markets for Canada. The seal pelts aren’t used in Canada and we don’t allow them to be imported in the United States, but Europe and Russia are big markets. So I think if we can close those markets that will be the end of the large-scale commercial seal hunt.

E: While you have many animal-loving fans, not everyone is excited about the work the HSUS is doing. You’ve been called “enemy number one,” by the pro-hunting group U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and targeted by various other pro-hunting groups. What do you say to those who think we need to hunt in order to control the animal population?

WP: Really what the HSUS does in the hunting realm is target the most egregious of cases, such as bear-bating or aerial hunting of wolves. It’s really only extremist organizations like the NRA and the U.S Sportsmen Alliance that recognize HSUS as “enemy number one” to their particularly inhumane practices.

Some of these groups will defend anything. Just as with agriculture we focus on these confinement methods and mutilations practices like tail-docking, with hunting we really concentrate on curving the worst of uses. We’re trying to hold hunters and farmers to their own self-professed standards and unfortunately there are folks within these industries who will just defend anything.

E: Now I always end with the same question for all the famous vegetarians I interview. If you had the chance to meet one person who you’ve found specifically instrumental in the vegetarian or animal rights community – dead or alive, past or present – who would it be and why?

WP: I’m sure that many people invoke his name, but I think it would probably be Gandhi. Not only because of his personal dietary regimen, but also for his role as the leader of an independent movement. He had to balance his personal habits with a larger political objective, and he obviously did it in a brilliant way. So I would have to choose him.

A big thank you to Wayne Pacelle and everyone at the HSUS for their incredible work. To learn more about how you can attend the Genesis Awards and help celebrate those who are making a difference, visit HSUS.org.

This morning I received an email from our friends at the HSUS with unfortunate news that legendary radio broadcaster and animal activist Paul Harvey passed away this weekend.  

Harvey’s radio programs were carried on more than 1,200 ABC stations and 400 Armed Forces Radio stations and his column published in 300 newspapers. But what you may not know is that the Harvey family was actively involved with animal-issues and had worked with all six CEOs of The HSUS since the group’s founding in 1954. On his blog, HSUS President Wayne Pacelle write: 

“During his remarkable decades-long broadcast career, he spoke out against almost every form of cruelty—puppy mills, animal fighting, seal clubbing, and factory farming. And he endorsed the landmark farm animal protection ballot initiatives in his winter home state of Arizona (Proposition 204) in 2006 and in California (Proposition 2) in 2008. With a generally conservative political orientation, his unyielding support for animal protection was a reminder to all his millions of listeners that this cause was not of the Left or the Right, but one that every decent American should embrace.”

To learn more about this remarkable fellow, visit Wayne Pacelle’s blog. 

A moment of silence for a classy guy.

Answer: FANTASTIC!!!

We were pleased as punch to see both Michelle Obama and Jill Biden totally fur-free.  On the other side of the ticket, Laura Bush also rocked the fur-free style, but of course Lynne Cheney just HAD TO display a grotesque fur collar on her coat. I mean are you really surprised?

The shocker of the day was that Aretha Franklin — who was photographed last year in what appeared to be an entire forest of animals — had not a lick of the cruel stuff anywhere to be seen.

Our pals over at SuperVegan.com named fur-wearing Spike Lee and wife Tonya Lewis as the worst dressed of the day. Do you agree?  Who’s fashion sense were you impressed/disgusted with at yesterday’s inauguration? Chime in and cast your vote for the best and worst dressed!

photo credit: charlotteobserver.com

Wayne Pacelle, President and CEO of the HSUS, has just published a blog entry asking the soon-to-be first lady to go fur-free and offering “fantastic alternatives if she has the least bit of temptation.”

Pacelle writes: “Like Jackie Kennedy, Michelle Obama represents generational change from her predecessors—and it’s a generation far more attuned to animal protection concerns. It is my fervent hope that Michelle Obama sets the right example for all of her admirers by not wearing fur on Inauguration Day, or on any day for that matter.”

So far the Obama’s have adopted a rescued dog, acknowledged the global destruction occuring at the hands of factory farming, and encouraged children to eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Therefore I have the utmost confidence that when it comes to cruelty, Michelle Obama will just say NO!

The measure will go into effect in 2015 to give factory farms time to transition to new housing systems.

Wayne Pacelle, President and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, said in a blog entry, “Life is going to get better for millions of farm animals.”

“And that’s thanks to so very many of you—those of you who voted for California’s Prop 2, those of you who donated time and money and support in the campaign, as well as the countless others of you who cheered from other states. This is the most ambitious ballot measure for animals ever undertaken. The energy that propelled us to victory was incredible—and that’s not overstatement. From the thousands of people who helped gather the petition signatures to put Prop 2 on the ballot to those who staffed the phone banks and knocked on doors to get out the vote, this was a show of grassroots might.”

Congrats to all those that worked so hard to get this measure passed!