WASHINGTON, D.C. — Humane Watch, an organization dedicated to monitoring the activities of the animal rights group Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), released its latest report last month blasting HSUS on charges of misleading the public about what it is and what it does.

For its part, HSUS accused Humane Watch of being nothing more than a phony, corporate-front entity. Humane Watch’s report, dated Oct. 19, is called Not Your Local Humane Society and details where HSUS puts its money.

According to Humane Watch, very little of it goes to local animal shelters, despite advertising that might lead people to believe that such work is its primary mission. According to the report, surveys show most people mistakenly believe most of HSUS’ money goes to local animal welfare agencies and shelters.

“Despite producing a steady stream of television commercials and other fundraising materials that imply otherwise, in 2010, the most recent tax year for which nonprofit IRS filings are available, HSUS gave less than one-half of one percent (0.42 percent, to be exact) of its total budget as grants to local humane societies or animal shelters,” the report stated.

Anna West, a spokeswoman for HSUS, didn’t deny any of the charges made in Humane Watch’s report. Instead, she attacked the Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF), the umbrella organization for Humane Watch and other groups run by lobbyist Rick Berman.

“The Center for Consumer Freedom is a front group for corporations trying to thwart animal welfare, environmental and other public interest reforms, while it masquerades as a legitimate nonprofit organization,” West alleged. “It is not a consumer protection organization and it has no social welfare mission.

“CCF is run by millionaire lobbyist Rick Berman, who makes a profitable living by attacking The Humane Society of the United States, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other public interest groups that work to protect public health and safety.”

J. Justin Wilson, senior research analyst at the CCF, takes offense at the accusation CCF is a front group.

“This group is very real,” he said. “I’ve been working here for eight years. The idea that we’re a front group is frankly insulting.

“If they want to level a charge of deception, they need to look in the mirror.

“The Humane Society doesn’t even dispute the report. We reviewed all of their commercials. Ninety percent of the animals featured in their Web advertisements are cats or dogs.”

Wilson also alleged HSUS routinely tries to kill news stories that bring up the issue of its advertising and spending. According to the report, HSUS had $300 million in revenue between 2008-10, but spent only 0.16 percent of its budget on pet welfare grants during this time, in the 40 states that received less than $50,000 each from HSUS. “Even taking all 50 states into account, HSUS still put four times more money into its executive pension plan than it put into these shelter grants,” the report states.

The report highlights HSUS’ political activities in various states and juxtaposes what it spends on political efforts, compared with what it gives to animal shelters. For example, it discusses what HSUS has been doing in Missouri. “The Humane Society of the United States didn’t make any donations to Missouri pet shelters in 2008, and gave just $84,889 to the state’s shelters over the three-year period,” the report said.

“At the same time, this year HSUS has poured more than $185,000 into a 2012 ballot campaign in Missouri. That’s on top of the more than $2 million HSUS pumped into the 2010 ‘Proposition B’ campaign. In three years, HSUS spent 43 times more lobbying than it did on grants protecting animals.”

For the Farm World area, HSUS gave the following amounts to animal pet shelters, between 2008-10: Illinois, $15,626; Indiana, $22,390; Iowa, $13,820; Kentucky, $12,790; Michigan, $34,627; Ohio, $57,337; and Tennessee, $52,422.

The entire Humane Watch report may be viewed at http://humanewatch.org