West Virginia Spay Neuter Program (WVSNP). The law was passed in 2013 and was funded in 2018. Has paid for over 70,000 surgeries and paid over $3M to WV Vet clinics. WVSNP WILL sunset in 2027 if our legislature fails to renew the funding. Let’s not wait but get it done in 2025!
WHY FUND WVSNP?
- Funds 501c3 nonprofits & local governments for spay neuter.
- Over 70,000 altered by a WV Veterinarian.
- $3 million awarded, $1.6 million matched, $4 million from private donor.
- Procedures increased 103% from 2018 to 2023 in 54 counties.
- Funding from pet food companies selling in WV, not taxpayer funds
- Cost less to spay/neuter than euthanize!
Funding WVSNP costs less than using tax dollars to kill dogs and cats!
Funding must be extended beyond 2027 by the legislature to forever!
There will not be a bill number until after the legislative session opens Feb. 12th. Please reference the bill like this for now.
Support proposed legislation to remove sunset provision from WV Code §19-14-5 Permits; registration providing funding for the WV State Spay Neuter Grant Program. (Passed into law in 2017 by HB2552)
There are many new legislators since 2017 who will not be aware of HB 2552 and all that it has accomplished since it passed. If you wonder why did it have a sunset, it is not unusual to place this provision to prompt a report on the success or failure of a program. It is more routine to place a 10 yr. sunset on all legislative rules to force another discussion on the topic. This was more of a standard procedure and not really any issue with the bill itself. A reminder that it passed the entire legislature with only 17 total nays. It is easy to be positive on the effects of the spay neuter program since all the news on this program is a success.
Background on the WVSNP Funding:
The Pet food funding bill in 2017 was HB 2552 (11 sponsors) and it passed the WV State legislature in 2017. It had overwhelming bi-partisan support with only 17 nays in entire legislature. We had asked for $900,000 but the amount was cut in half while the bill was still in committee and a sunset was added to the bill for a 10- year period thru 2027. This pet food registration fee generates approx. $450,000 per year through the WV Dept. of Ag. In 2023, a private foundation added $1,350,000 yearly for spay neuter in our state for a period of 3 years through 2025. This has achieved the goal of fully funding the program for the first time since it began in 2018.
To date, more than70,000 dogs and cats have been altered throughout our state with this grant funding.
There are 5 states with this type of funding. Maine, Maryland, WV, New Mexico and Delaware.
Pet food sales nationwide 2023 $64 billion. Pet food sales 2023 WV over $150 million
Calculating WV Pet food sales……not an exact science but as good as it can be.
64.4 billion National Pet food sales 2023 divided by 86 million US Households (66% of US total households of 131 million = $744 per US Household spent. I took rounded figures 64 billion divided by 86 million and got $744 on pet food per household. Calculating that way is a whopping $358 million in WV pet food sales.
US census 2020 list 131 million US Households
1,770,071 total WV Population with 720,668 total households and 66% pet owning = 475,640
Another calculation used most often is this lower figure per household based on multiple sources. We arrived at the average of How did we calculate this? $321 low average petfood spent yearly. $321 x WV Pet Owning Households = $153 million in total WV Pet Food Sales in 2023. This is a low estimate considering how much many actually spend on pet food yearly.
Some variable calculations had it up to $366 million We use $153 million, the low number since it is easily explained. Now surely our mere $450,000 is a drop in the bucket to these numbers.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/250851/basic-annual-expenses-for-dog-and-cat-owners-in-the-us
Surveyed dog owners in the United States stated that they spent, on average, 442 U.S. dollars on pet food per year in 2020. In comparison, cat-owning respondents claimed to spend an average of 329 U.S. dollars on pet food on an annual basis.
How do you get one of these designs on a t shirt? If you are a grantee and are joining us at the capitol on March 25, 2025!
This innovative T-shirt design was created by Michelle Boyers,
who is the Project Manager in Production & Graphic Services at
City Neon Inc. which is owned by Carol Atkins. This is a local Morgantown business with a proud history of 60 years serving the Morgantown area.
We want to thank City Neon for their imagination in creating this design to help us in our battle to control pet overpopulation in WV.