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SNAP WV grants awarded! PDF Print E-mail
Here is a list of counties and organizations that have benefitted from the SNAP WV Matching Grant Program. SNAP WV needs more funding to continue to support the citizens of West Virginia in altering their pets.
Barbour – Animal Friends of Barbour County
Berkeley - Berkeley County Humane Society
Marion County Humane Society
Pendleton – Pendleton Animal Welfare Shelter
Preston - Preston County Humane Society
Randolph – Randolph County Humane Society
Taylor - P.U.R.R. WV
Wood - Humane Society of Parkersburg
Wood – Save a Kitty Feral Cat Program
This is why we need funding for spay neuter. Our funds for 2010 are depleted.  We need funding to help stem the pet overpopulation in WV.  Please go to www.fohowvla.org to find out how you can help to obtain state funding for spay neuter assistance.
 
Plan to attend our next FOHO meeting on October 2nd! PDF Print E-mail
Our next FOHO meeting will be at the Waldemore House adjacent to the Clarksburg Public Library on Saturday morning, October 2nd from 9:30 am to 12.
Anyone is welcome to attend. Join us as we promote a better environment for animal welfare throughout West Virginia.
 
Clarksburg Public Library
404 W Pike St
Clarksburg, WV 26301-2794
(304) 627-2236
 
From US 50 around Clarksburg, get downtown onto West Pike Street go into the library complex and the Waldemore is the mansion beside the library. That is where the meeting is held. Hope to see everyone there!
 
 
 
WV Animal Shelter Euthanasia Rates PDF Print E-mail
During the 2008 FOHO WV Conference attendees were asked to complete a survey with a variety of questions about shelter activities and statistics. The euthanasia rates ranged from the lowest at 5% to the highest at 62% for dogs. Some shelters did not accept cats and those that did had euthanasia rates ranging from a low of 12% to as high as 84% for cats. Impacting these numbers were combining cat and dog statistics, participation in rescues and enormous numbers of incoming dogs and cats. We were still able to get a fair cross section view which provided the following average euthanasia rates for 2007 and 2008 in some West Virginia Shelters.
 
This is exactly why we need more emphasis on solving the problem of pet overpopulation with more emphasis on spaying and neutering. More shelters are offering their data so this is a dynamic percentage. Please email us to see if your shelter has been included. And check here periodically to see the results.
 
 
2007 WV Shelter Euthanasia (based on selected shelters)
Percentage of dogs euthanized = 51%
Percentage of cats euthanized = 78%
 
2008 WV Shelter Euthanasia (based on selected shelters)
Percentage of dogs euthanized = 49%
Percentage of cats euthanized = 77%
 
 
We will continue to update this information and have it available at the next FOHO WV Conference in April 2012 in Flatwoods, WV.  More details will follow soon on this event.   Plan now to attend!
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Interesting Facts PDF Print E-mail
Jane Mehaffey has compiled some interesting facts which can also be helpful in grant writing, soliciting funding or simply providing information to the public on pet over-population.  

  • Number of cats and dogs entering shelters each year:
    6-8 million
 
  • Number of cats and dogs euthanized by shelters each year:
    3-4 million
 
  • Number of cats and dogs adopted from shelters each year:
    3-4 million
 
  • Number of animal shelters in the United States:
    Between 4,000 and 6,000
 
Source: Humane Society of the United States
 
 
 
 
Dogs
 
• There are approximately 74.8 million owned dogs in the United States
• Thirty-nine percent of U.S. households own at least one dog
• Most owners (63 percent) own one dog
• Twenty-five percent of owners own two dogs
• Twelve percent of owners own three or more dogs
• On average, owners have almost two dogs (1.7)
• The proportion of male to female dogs is even
• Ten percent of owned dogs were adopted from an animal shelter
 
Cats
 
• There are approximately 88.3 million owned cats in the United States
• Nearly 34 percent of U.S. households (or 38.4 million) own at least one cat
• Fifty-six percent of owners own more than one cat
• On average, owners have two cats (2.3)
• More female cats are owned than male cats (73 percent vs. 63 percent respectively)
• Eighteen percent of owned cats were adopted from an animal shelter
 
 
Source: American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA) 2007-2008 National Pet Owners’ Survey
 
DOGS
 
 
• Average number of litters a fertile dog can produce in one year: 2*
• Average number of puppies in a canine litter: 6-10*
• In six years, a female dog and her offspring can produce an estimated 67,000 puppies*
• 25 percent of dogs entering shelters are purebred—some even have AKC papers*
• 30 percent of dogs entering shelters are reclaimed by owners*
• Estimated number of dogs in the state of West Virginia: 390,114**
 
 
*Source: Humane Society of the United States
 
**According to AVMA formula
 
 
 
CATS
 
 
• Average number of litters a fertile cat can produce in one year: 3*
• Average number of kittens in a feline litter: 4-6*
• In only 7 years just one unaltered female cat and her offspring can produce an estimated 420,000 cats*
• 2 to 5 per cent of cats entering shelters are reclaimed by owners*
• Estimated number of cats in the state of West Virginia: 513,651**
 
 
*Source: Humane Society of the United States
 
**According to AVMA formula
 
 
 
Top Ten Reason Owners Give for Relinquishing Dogs
 
 
  1. Moving
  2. Landlord issues
  3. Cost of pet maintenance
  4. No time for pet
  5. Inadequate facilities
  6. Too many pets in home
  7. Pet illness (es)
  8. Personal problems
  9. Biting
  10. No homes for littermates
 
Source: National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy
 
 
 
Top Ten Reason Owners Give for Relinquishing Cats
 
  1. Too many in house
  2. Allergies
  3. Moving
  4. Cost of pet maintenance
  5. Landlord issues
  6. No homes for littermates
  7. House soiling
  8. Personal problems
  9. Inadequate facilities
  10. Doesn't get along with other pets
 
 
Source: National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy
 
 
Bill to fund West Virginia Spay Neuter did not pass 2010 session! PDF Print E-mail

A very important bill passed the Senate to fund spay neuter programs in West Virginia but was killed in House Agriculture Committee by Dept. of Agriculture!

A very important animal bill for funding spay neuter programs in West Virginia passed the Senate in the 2010 legislature.  However, Commissioner Gus Douglas,  Dept. of Agriculture killed the bill.   It would have provided ongoing revenue at the state level which will be distributed through SNAP WV for funding spay/neuter programs throughout West Virginia.  We have needed a resource to help with pet-overpopulation in the state and this can be part of our solution. Be clear that it will be a fee on the distributor of commercial pet food brands in the state & not on the consumer. They are already paying a brand fee and we will just take a tiny portion of it. They make a lot of money on pets in the state with pet food sales around $119 million dollars.   This would have provided $106,000 yearly to a state spay neuter fund.  Even if the pet food industry passed the fee along to pet owners it would have been 40 cents per household per year.   With this bill, they could become part of our solution in assisting with our pet problem of overpopulation. 

The Dept of Agriculture decided to support the Pet Food Industry over the taxpayers of West Virginia.  NH, NYS, ME, GA, DE just to name a few states have Departments of Agriculture that actively support statewise spay neuter initiatives.  While companion animals come under the watch of the Dept. of Agriculture in WV, they have been largely ignored.  
Let Gus Douglas   This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  and Gov. Joe Manchin  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  know how much this funding is needed.   Let's join other states in solving this problem. 
Thumbs up to the WV Senate for passing this bill! 

 

 

Please contact your legislative representativies now and tell them how much we needed this funding for spay neuter in West Virginia. Urge them to support this bill in the 2011 session.  We may have lost the battle but we will win the war on this issue in West Virginia.   Go to www.fohowvla.org to find out more about this legislation.   
 
Spay And Neuter Facts & Myths PDF Print E-mail

WHY SPAY AND NEUTER?

There are many reasons to spay or neuter your companion animals. Spaying or neutering benefits the overall health of your animal, and helps minimize many behavioral issues. Here are a few facts and misconceptions about spaying and neutering.
 
FACTS:
 
1) A spayed female animal is less likely to develop mammary, ovarian, or uterine cancers.
2) A spayed female animal never goes into estrus (heat), and she never produces offspring.
3) A neutered male animal is less likely to develop testicular cancer and prostrate disease.
4) A neutered male animal cannot impregnate a female animal.
5) A neutered male animal is less likely to roam and get involved in fights with other unaltered males.
6) A neutered male dog is generally less aggressive, less likely to mark territory, and less likely to bite.
7) Neutered male cats are less likely to spray.
8) Spayed and neutered animals do not contribute to the pet overpopulation problem.
 
MYTHS
 
1) Spaying or neutering an animal does not make the animal fat. Lack of exercise and overeating cause an animal gain weight.
2) Female animals do not get depressed because they cannot produce litters.
3) Female animals do not need to give birth in order to mature.
4) Neutering a male dog does not make the dog less protective or less affectionate.
5) Neutering a male dog does not lessen his desire or ability to hunt.
 
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Make sure to check www.fohowvla.org for current animal legislation that passed the 2010 session.   Also any questions on animal law, go to www.fohowv.org to find specific animal code which can be downloaded.

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