American Humane Society

What it reported doing in 2024

Otheramerican humane hero dog awards the american humane hero dog awards is an annual, nationwide competition that searches out and recognizes america's hero dogs often ordinary dogs who do extraordinary things, whether it's saving lives on the battlefield, lending sight or hearing to a human companion, or helping people achieve their goals. Dogs are honored in multiple categories for the hero dog awards: law enforcement and first responder dogs this category broadly includes dogs that are critical to first responders, that safeguard the public, and that find the missing and victims of disasters. Law enforcement dogs' ability to help protect their human handlers, thwart lawbreakers, and find evidence makes them true partners to first responders. Scent detection dogs can accurately detect a variety of targets, including correctly identifying a multitude of diseases and flora and fauna, and are used to detect illicit substances, drugs, fire accelerants, firearms, or explosives. Search and rescue dogs are trained to find the missing, from those lost in the wilderness or city to victims of accidents and natural disasters. Service and guide/hearing dogs service dogs are trained to perform specific tasks for people with disabilities as defined by the americans with disabilities act (ada). They can be trained to work with people with physical mobility needs or limitations, or people who need alerts to medical conditions. They can also serve as the "eyes and ears" for the blind and/or deaf or perform tasks for those with psychiatric disabilities such as post traumatic stress or traumatic brain injury.these specially trained dogs can even help by retrieving or manipulating objects that are out of their person's reach, alerting bystanders and retrieving help for their handler, leading while avoiding distractions and obstacles, and many other individual tasks as needed by a person with a disability. These heroes not only improve the lives of the people with whom they work, but also keep them safe every day. Therapy dogs credentialed animal-assisted therapy (aat) dogs are part of a therapeutic plan to aid with physical, social, emotional, and cognitive challenges for persons other than the dog's owner/handler. Aat has been shown to help enhance the lives of people in need such as children who have experienced abuse or neglect, patients undergoing chemotherapy or other difficult medical treatments, and military veterans and their families who are struggling to cope with the effects of wartime military service. Studies have found that aat lowers blood pressure, reduces stress and enhances a patient's ability to achieve physical and psychological wellness. Military dogs military working dogs first entered the service in 1942 to serve in the army's k-9 corps. Today, these dogs are still playing an active role in searching for explosives and seizing enemies. Military working dogs have been used by the u.s. Armed forces since world war i. In world war ii, 436 scout dogs walked combat patrols overseas, often detecting the enemy at 1,000 yards, long before the enemy became aware of them. Dogs continued to serve with distinction in other conflicts, such as korea, where the army used about 1,500 dogs, primarily for guard duty. During the vietnam war, nearly 4,000 dogs were employed and, officially, 281 were killed in action. Today's conflicts include dogs at every level, still serving our country, helping to protect our troops. Emerging hero and shelter dogs just as our understanding of animal behavior and science is ever expanding, so too do the amazing stories of the human animal bond in action. Dogs in this category can be nominated for doing heroic deeds, large or small; for overcoming difficult odds; or by having a remarkable rescue story like the millions of homeless dogs in shelters, on the streets, or needing help from unfavorable situations. Whether it was a second chance and a new "leash" on life or just a perfect fit that was meant to be

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 76.1%; rating input score 76
• Program expense ratio: 74.6%; rating input score 75
• Fundraising efficiency: $4.6 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 95%; rating input score 95; 25th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Pass
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: 0 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 0
  • Claims monitoring procedures: Fail
  • Requires narrative reports: Fail
  • Conducts field audits: Fail
  • May suspend future funding: Fail
  • Requires financial reports: Fail
  • Conducts site visits: Fail
  • Requires grant agreements: Fail
  • May require repayment: Fail
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 10.9%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.42; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.33; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 9.7%; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 7.7% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 6.5% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 9.5% per year; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings