Have you seen that heart-rending commercial by the ASPCA featuring Sarah McLaughlin singing a plaintive ballad over pictures of abused or neglected cats and dogs? In its first year it raised more $30 million, becoming the ASPCA’s most successful fundraising campaign. The New York Times reports that the spot has become known as “The Ad” in nonprofit circles.

However, in 2021 a CBS News investigation found that many donors assumed part of their contributions would filter down to their local animal welfare charities. The investigation focused on “questions about whether the money is going where donors expect,” reporting that the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals raised $2 billion between 2008 and 2019 but spent only $146 million in grants to local animal welfare groups.

For the record, the ASPCA is not a nationwide umbrella group like the Girl Scouts, with local branches that share the wealth. It’s an organization that serves the animals of New York City, period. The only reason it gets to put an “A” in front of its name is that it was the first one, founded in 1886.

So if you want to give them money, go ahead, but don’t think it will filter down to help our local animals. For that, you’ll have to donate to local organizations like the Berkeley Humane Society, East Bay SPCA, Hopalong, Cattown, Friends of the Oakland Animal Shelter, Home At Last, Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter (where I got Betty, my present cat) and Island Cat Resources and Adoption, where I got my last two cats, Pepe and Sally.

You might be wondering: What’s the difference between an SPCA and a Humane Society? Answer: nothing. They’re both adoption agencies. The greatest peril facing companion animals nowadays is overpopulation, and killing them is no answer because the math makes it impossible.

A single unspayed female cat and her offspring could potentially producemore than two million cats in just eight years (spayneuter.org/wordpress/why-spayneuter). The same with dogs. The only realistic solution is spay/neuter programs to prevent them from being born in the first place.

In the meantime, homes have to be found for those who are already here. To that end, the Berkeley Humane Society has invited more than 30 animal shelters from across Northern California to town this Saturday for the annual Bark (and Meow) Around the Block, California’s largest single-location adoption event.

Hundreds of adorable dogs, cats, puppies, kittens, rabbits, birds, rats — yes, rats can be extremely affectionate pets — and other companion animals will be available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and admission is free. At previous Bark (and Meow) Around the Block events, one animal was adopted every two minutes, and every time one finds a new home that creates a shelter space for another.

The guest of honor will be a special pup named Moke, who is coming all the way from Kona, Hawaii. He’s the 125th dog to come to Berkeley since the Humane Society founded its Aloha Dog project a year-and-a-half ago, after the disastrous fire in Hawaii.

“Kona’s public shelter serves the entire island and can quickly become overwhelmed with adoptable dogs,” explains Humane Society President Jeffrey Zerwekh. “Tourists and business travelers volunteer as flight escorts to help transport these dogs to Berkeley Humane, where they receive comprehensive medical care, behavioral support when needed and the opportunity to begin a new chapter with a loving family.”

Families who adopted Aloha Dogs in the past have been invited back with their dogs for a special reunion to welcome Moke to Berkeley and celebrate all 125 dogs whose journeys began in Hawaii.

Not adopting? No problem. You’re still invited to the party, which will feature a beer, wine and cocktail garden, a local DJ spinning records, food vendors and frozen treats, pet-focused vendors and community exhibitors and family-friendly activities and giveaways.

Beware, though: When one of these sweet little critters looks you in the eye, it’s awfully hard to resist. The Berkeley Humane Society is at 2700 Ninth St.

P.S.: Thank you to all the animal lovers who wrote me asking how Betty is fitting in. The answer is just fine. She has me well trained, and I never forget that it’s her home and I just happen to live in it.

She won’t sleep with me at night because she prefers the living room, and she always chooses Sally’s favorite spots; but she loves to curl up in my lap while I’m watching television, and she comes into my bedroom every morning and wakes me up by lying on my chest and “making biscuits” while she purrs away. Not bad for a guy who used to hate cats, right? It just proves that there’s no zealot like a converted sinner.

Martin Snapp can be reached at catman442@comcast.net.