How West Virginia Built a Spay/Neuter Program That Works with Steve Tennant

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 operating statewide, West Virginia has become a national model — proof that persistence, smart funding, and the right allies can turn decades of advocacy into a program that delivers real results. In this episode you will hear: The story of Steve's 2007 weekly rescue drives to a central West Virginia gas chamber shelter — and how that experience set the course for everything that followed How the fight to ban gas chambers and the fight for a statewide spay/neuter program ran in parallel, and why winning one cleared the path for the other The founding of FOHO WV in 1993 and the original vision that took nearly three decades to fully realize What grassroots lobbying actually looks like: years of legislative visits until the statehouse staff knows you by name and knows why you're there How the right agriculture commissioner in 2017 changed everything — and why white papers and relationships matter in policy advocacy The pet food manufacturer surcharge funding model: how West Virginia built a program that costs the average taxpayer nothing A breakdown of how the voucher program works: grantee organizations, grant cycles, direct payment to vets and spay/neuter clinics from the Department of Agriculture 85,000+ animals served in seven years, with declining statewide shelter intake numbers as proof the program is working The fight to remove the 2027 sunset provision, and why long-term program security matters as much as annual funding How an anonymous $4+ million private donation doubled the program budget — and demonstrated that proven results attract private investment Rural access realities in West Virginia: seven clinics dispersed statewide, volunteer drivers making two- and three-hour trips, and a shortage of vets that advocates are navigating with dedication Why cats dominate the numbers in West Virginia's program — and how TNR practitioners are taking advantage of the voucher system West Virginia's pre-adoption spay/neuter requirement and how it complements the voucher program to close population gaps Whether a model like this can scale to larger states — and Steve's direct, optimistic answer How to connect with FOHO WV and the West Virginia Spay and Neuter Assistance Program if you want to replicate or adapt this model in your own state Resources from this episode: Federation of Humane Organizations of West Virginia (FOHO WV) West Virginia Spay and Neuter Assistance Program (WVSNP) — WV Department of Agriculture Supporters of FOHO WV on Facebook