Pet-Loving Oregonians To Have Their Own License Plate
Eugene-based Willamette Animal Guild will auction off the rights to coveted lowest-numbered plates such as SN0001
Oregonians can spruce up their otherwise utilitarian vehicle license plates with designs featuring evergreen trees, salmon, vineyards, and a range of Oregon sports teams or natural wonders. Now, Eugene-based Willamette Animal Guild (WAG) is adding an option specifically for pet lovers, with proceeds from the plates supporting spay and neuter programs.
The 12-year-old WAG is nearing the completion of its 60,000th spay/neuter surgery in its high-volume, low-cost clinic. Now, the group plans to spread its impact statewide with a Spay It Forward Oregon fund to support other high-volume, low-cost efforts around Oregon.
Spay It Forward grants will be largely funded by the $35 proceeds from each $40 “Oregon Loves Its Pets” specialty plate purchase.
With long-range plans for more well-funded cat and dog sterilization programs around the state, the group’s immediate task is to get at least 3,000 Oregon vehicle owners to pre-order the custom plates. That’s the DMV’s threshold to begin production on a new plate design.
High volume
From the WAG Facebook page: a collage of recent surgery recipients at the nonprofit’s Eugene clinic. High-volume spay/neuter programs are proven effective at lowering homeless animal populations in U.S. shelters, where an estimated 1.5 million are euthanized each year.
If successful, the campaign would bring Oregon into the ranks of 30-plus other states with specialty plates that support spay and neuter efforts. Western states with similar plates include California, Washington, and Idaho.
As of late January, WAG’s two-month-old campaign was eking past 10% of its 3,000-voucher goal.
Supporters who pre-order the plates will receive a voucher to redeem for an actual license plate when the DMV begins its production. WAG also plans to auction the rights to the first 20 numbered plates, allowing high bidders to claim numbers between SN0001 or SN0020 — again, with funds supporting more high-volume sterilization surgeries.
Nationwide, concerted spay and neuter efforts are credited with bringing U.S. shelter euthanasia numbers from over 8 million less than a decade ago to around 1.5 million today. Emboldened by moving ever closer to a goal of eliminating euthanasia of healthy animals in overcrowded shelters, advocates across the country are turning to innovative funding options like specialty license plate designs.
In California, where specialty plates went up for sale in September 2013, the program raised its first million in a little over five years and started distributing grants in 2019.
Washington state’s license plate program started producing revenue in 2007 and a decade later had distributed over $600,000 in grants to agencies around the state. The Washington Federation of Animal Care and Control Agencies, which administers the grants, says the funds represent more than 17,000 surgeries.
In Idaho, where lawmakers first twice rejected the idea, the state’s spay/neuter plates finally went up for sale in 2019. Funds will go to the Idaho Humane Society and be earmarked specifically for low-cost spay and neuter programs in rural communities.
It’s unknown when Oregon’s plates will begin gracing the state’s roadways, as organizers must first meet the requirement of 3,000 pre-orders. Supporters of the Oregon plates can order vouchers through the WAG website and redeem them for actual plates with the DMV begins production.