Tennessee’s Animal Friendly license plates just got friendlier. PetSmart Charities is partnering with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and the Companion Animal Initiative in Tennessee (C.A.I.T.), a program of the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, to expand low-cost spay/neuter services through its Animal Friendly specialty plates.
PetSmart Charities will match up to $100,000 of funds generated above total plate sales for the prior fiscal year.
Tennessee’s Animal Friendly license plates have been available through the Department of Agriculture since 2002. For each plate sold, $15.50 goes to the Animal Population Control Endowment Fund. These funds are used to help non-profit organizations provide low-cost spaying/neutering of dogs and cats to help reduce the homeless pet population in Tennessee.
The Department of Agriculture awarded grants to 46 animal welfare agencies across Tennessee to help fund spay/neuter programs in 2006. The Humane Animal Rescue Team located in Hamilton County and the Animal Welfare Network of East Tennessee located in Sequatchie County were among those receiving grants.
“This is the first matching grant PetSmart Charities has ever awarded for an animal friendly license plate program. Our goal is to encourage the sales of more Animal Friendly plates to increase funding for much-needed spay/neuter programs in Tennessee,” said Susana Della Maddalena, executive director of PetSmart Charities.
“The grant from PetSmart Charities is an opportunity to better serve more communities throughout the state. I encourage people who are interested in responsible pet ownership to buy the Animal Friendly license plates. This grant will essentially double the money that goes into the spay/neuter program for each plate sold,” said Dr. Ron Wilson, Tennessee’s State Veterinarian.
“Reducing the pet overpopulation problem is a key component to ending the needless suffering of animals,” said Donna Deweese, Outreach Coordinator for the Animal Care Trust, the entity raising funds to build Chattanooga’s new Animal Care and Adoption Center. “Part of our mission is to educate citizens on the benefits of spaying and neutering their pet plus if we can prevent animals from being born, then fewer will have to enter our facility after it’s built.”
The Animal Friendly license plate is one of the more popular plates among Tennesseans. In the last two years, $275,000 has been raised for low-cost spay/neuter programs, but that hasn’t met the demands, officials said. Dr. John New, professor and department head at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, is on the committee that reviews grant applications. He said, “Over a half million dollars of requests were not funded last year. If we reach the full potential of the matching gift, we’ll decrease that shortfall by more than a third. Each year, more and more quality grant proposals seeking funds for low-cost spay/neuter programs are submitted, but the money hasn’t been available. It’s very frustrating to know what good work these organizations are doing, usually on a shoestring budget, to fight the problem of too many homeless pets and not be able to fully fund them when they have the answer to the problem.”
To purchase an Animal Friendly License Plate, visit http://tennessee.gov/safety/plates/misc/animalfriend.htm or contact your local county clerk’s office. The specialty plate costs $35 in addition to county fees.