Should I buy that license plate?

For several years the State of New York has had money set aside for the Animal Population Control Fund. The fund is managed by the Agriculture and Markets Department. People on public assistance could apply to the department for a voucher which could be taken to a limited number of veterinarians who would perform the surgery for a $20 co-pay.
Last year, the governor 'swept' $1 million out of that fund (meaning that the governor took it for the general fund and it will never come back). The money comes from several sources including dog license fees, unused spay/neuter deposits from shelters and sales of special license plates that support spay/neuter.
Now the Agriculture and Markets Department has announced that they are running low on funds. If the current trend of shrinking reserves continues, they are predicting that by October several counties will no longer have a program available to them. The program has a provision to give priority to counties where the most money is coming from when funds get low.
The fund currently has just under $500,000 in reserves. If the governor had left the money where it belonged and used it for what was promised, essential spay and neuter services would still be available throughout the state. Unfortunately now, less than half the state will have these services available to low income people. This is a sad and unnecessary state of affairs. The money that was designated for the fund, should have stayed there.
So, should you pay $20 extra every year to have a spay/neuter license plate? The DMV's website says that the money goes to the animal population control fund, and it does until the governor decides to take it away. I would love to be able to recommend that everyone proudly display their support of the spay/neuter fund on their cars, but the promise of where the money will go, may not be kept by New York State.

What to do about Mike

The big news of the day in the Capital Region is that the Albany Firebirds have offered Michael Vick a contract with the provision that Vick give $100,000 to the Mohawk and Hudson River Humane Society. At first blush it sounds great for the Society to receive a huge influx of money to support our programs and save more animals' lives, but at what cost?
I believe in redemption. I know that people can change and be better people. I don't believe that you make change by paying someone else any amount of money. Vick has already paid almost a million dollars for the care of the dogs that survived his dog fighting ring. I don't think that anyone would say that changed him as a person. Did going to prison change him? I suppose it might have, but we really don't know.
Rather than money, I would like to see Michael Vick become a member of the Capital Region community who works to prevent animal cruelty and put a stop to dog fighting. I think that his time and proper use of his fame will be a much better indicator of a change in attitude than writing a check, even if it is to a worthy cause.

I would love to know your opinions on this issue. Please click on comments below and let me know what you think.

Welcome

Hello everyone, and welcome to the official blog of the Mohawk and Hudson River Humane Society. This month marks my second full year as Executive Director of the Society and I thought that it was about time to share up to date information about the Society online.

This blog will be a place where you can come and learn about the latest happenings at the Society, news about animals in our community and tips about animal care. I will have friends, volunteers and other Society staff guest blogging from time to time as well so that you can learn directly from their expertise.

Today I spent most of the day at Paws for a Cause in the Empire State Plaza. It was great to see all of the different vendors, animal protection groups, and veterinarians out together educating the public about animal care.
My favorite presentation of the day had to be the dancing Corgis. Really, they dance.

Paws for a Cause continues tomorrow and the Purina Dog Team will be there for several performances throughout the day.
I will be on 810 WGY's Pet Talk tomorrow from 11am to noon along with other guests talking about animals and animal health. Please listen in.

That's it for the first post, please check back often for news and updates.