About this episode

Steve Tennant discusses the successful spay/neuter program in West Virginia and the advocacy efforts that led to its establishment.

Steve Tennant has spent more than 25 years advocating for animals in West Virginia — work that eventually led him to the board of the Federation of Humane Organizations of West Virginia (FOHO WV), which has been fighting for a statewide spay/neuter program since its founding in 1993. Getting there required years of grassroots lobbying at the state legislature, navigating unfunded laws, and waiting for the right political moment. That moment came in 2017, when a new agriculture commissioner read FOHO's white paper and went to bat for the program. The West Virginia Spay and Neuter Assistance Program officially launched in 2018 at $450,000 — half of what was needed, but enough to start — funded entirely by a surcharge on pet food manufacturer fees, not taxpayer dollars. Seven years in, the results are undeniable. More than 85,000 animals have been spayed or neutered, shelter intake numbers are declining statewide, and an anonymous private donor contributed over $4 million to bring the program to full funding. A 2027 sunset provision was successfully removed this past legislative session. With 85+ organizations applying for grants across all 55 counties and seven spay/neuter clinics…

People in this episode

Host: Stacy LeBaron

Guest: Steve Tennant

Topics covered

• spay/neuter programs
• animal advocacy
• grassroots lobbying
• state legislation
• animal welfare
• funding models

Keywords

• spay/neuter
• West Virginia
• animal advocacy
• FOHO WV
• legislation
• funding
• grassroots
• animal welfare

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Federation of Humane Organizations of West Virginia, West Virginia Spay and Neuter Assistance Program

Places: West Virginia

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