Ware Charitable Foundation Awards $250,000 to The HSUS to Combat Animal Fighting

August 11, 2008

The Humane Society of the United States will be able to significantly increase its work against illegal animal fighting thanks to a recent $250,000 grant from the Holland M. Ware Charitable Foundation. The quarter-of-a-million dollar grant follows a previous gift of $200,000 given last year in the wake of the federal dogfighting case against Michael Vick. 

The combined gift allows the national animal protection organization to double its reward to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of animal fighters, and provide increased training and investigative assistance to law enforcement nationwide. In the past year, thanks to the Ware grant, The HSUS has paid out 18 rewards on successful animal fighting cases, joined with 13 state Attorneys General on announcing the reward, aired radio public services announcements nationwide, trained more than 2,000 law enforcement officers on investigating illegal dogfighting and cockfighting and helped to bust notorious dogfighting kingpins Mahlon Patrick and T.L. Williams in Arizona and Al White in Georgia. 

The Holland M. Ware Charitable Foundation was established on Aug. 25, 2000 to promote the prevention of cruelty to animals, assist communities in the care of needy animals, and support state and local law enforcement agencies in the prosecution of animal cruelty cases. Founded by Holland M. Ware, a prominent Southern landowner and businessman, the foundation embodies Mr. Ware's passion for philanthropy and animal rights advocacy.

"Dogs have always been cherished members of our family and it is outrageous to me to think that they would be used in barbaric, bloody contests for the purpose of greed and a sick sense of entertainment," said Holland M. Ware. "The Humane Society of the United States has shown its commitment and success with this issue and we are proud to provide this grant so that more animals do not have to become the victims of animal fighting."

Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The HSUS expressed his gratitude to the Ware foundation: "This gift will save animals and Holland Ware should be very proud that his foundation will help put animal fighters out of business for good. We are enormously grateful for the generosity of the Ware foundation and we will honor it by working everyday to put an end to this most horrendous and inexcusable form of animal cruelty."

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The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization — backed by 10.5 million Americans, or one of every 30. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education, and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty — On the Web at humanesociety.org.