WEST VIRGINIA SPAY NEUTER PROGRAM (WVSNP)
• Program passed in 2013, Rules passed in 2015, Funding passed in 2017.
• WVSNP is a state-wide grant program managed by the WV Department of Agriculture (WVDA).
• WVSNP began awarding grants in 2018 through 2026 totaling $7,372,396.00.
• Funded by annual WVDA pet food registration fees, the WV Spay Neuter Program operates at zero cost to taxpayers. It brings in $450,000 a year—just half of the $900,000 originally requested in 2017 before lobbying cuts.
• Since 2022, a private foundation, acknowledging the State’s effort, added over
$1.3M to WVSNP and $2.7M to ten WV HV/LC Spay Neuter Clinics. This private funding ends in 2027.
• Total spent includes $2.1M contributed by grant recipients from their own funds. See Attachment #4
• 2026 $1.9M requested by grantees $1.2M grant dollars awarded.
• 125,565 WV dogs and cats sterilized in 8 years, each guaranteed to receive a rabies shot.
• WV taxpayers pay an estimated $300 per animal (calculated on 5 day hold) for county shelters to house homeless dogs and cats every year.
• Hundreds of thousands of taxpayers’ dollars will be saved by reducing pet overpopulation.
• Dogs can reproduce at age 7 months, cats can reproduce as early as 4 months
• A single year comparison showed that it cost $1,085,640M to euthanize 4,980 animals and $1,005,339M to sterilize 18,186. See Attachment #4
• Lower pet population reduces incidents of cruelty, neglect, human/animal conflicts, compassion fatigue suffered by animal welfare workers, and threats to community health.
• A minimum of $450,000 is requested to avoid the 2027 cliff.
• Driven by a 62% rise in spay neuter cost since 2018, our required funding must increase from $983,237 in 2025 to at a minimum of $1,592,844 within seven years to sustain current procedure volumes.
• Spay Neuter is the cost-effective solution to West Virginia’s pet overpopulation!

Used with permission from FOHO WV

This is in the US Senate and our paws are crossed it will get out of AG eventually.  However it is stalled now due to no agreement on SNAP benefits Included with the Farm Bill.  Aug. 2026.  

Senator Shelley Moore Capito: 202-224-6472
Senator Jim Justice: 202-224-3954

 

 

Greyhound Racing in West Virginia | GREY2K USA Worldwide     Download and read the full study here!

A 2026 study worth reading ends ANY speculation on this!  Check out this post which is on WV against Greyhounds Page (did you know we have one of those?) Facebook Greyhound Racing

Executive Summary Excerpt from above report. Please read the report. This must end!
This study examines the economic and fiscal effects of greyhound racing in West Virginia, the last U.S. state to maintain live greyhound tracks. Historically, the industry grew rapidly during the 20th century, peaking mid-century before a long-term decline due to animal welfare concerns, changing public tastes, and competition from casinos and lotteries. Unlike other states.  West Virginia sustains greyhound racing through statutory subsidies drawn from casino gaming revenues, primarily via transfers from video lottery and racino revenues into purse accounts and the Greyhound Breeding Development Fund. These subsidies, totaling roughly $15 million to $22 million annually, account for 95% to 97% of total purse payments, highlighting that the industry’s continued operation is almost entirely dependent on public support rather than market demand.
This study uses both historical economic literature and modern empirical methods, including difference-in-differences (DiD) and event study approaches, to estimate the local economic impact of greyhound racing. Results show modest, transient employment gains of approximately 0.38% in counties hosting racing, peaking two to three years post-adoption before dissipating. Pre-treatment trend analysis indicates that these counties were already on stronger economic trajectories, suggesting the measured effects are temporary bursts rather than sustainable growth. Input-output models confirm that the sector’s direct economic impact is roughly $17.5 million, barely exceeding the subsidies provided, with minimal tax revenue generated relative to public spending.
Overall, the evidence indicates that greyhound racing in West Virginia provides limited economic benefit, primarily sustaining a narrow set of low-wage jobs without producing long-term employment, income, or GDP gains. Fiscal analysis reinforces that public subsidies are essential to its survival, meaning the industry functions more as a legacy-supported activity than a viable economic development strategy. Policymakers are thus advised to weigh the opportunity costs of continued support against alternative uses of public funds, as the industry’s broader economic contribution remains minimal and increasingly tenuous.

This is a very informative video from Best Friends.  When you get 17 mins into it, an excellent chart is revealed which I do not have the copyright to post here but see for yourself how it applies to the battle we have coming up to get our spay neuter funding extended beyond 2027.

You do know it is a WV legislative bill that will be required to pass for this to occur?  WVVAW will be unveiling a plan soon on this but for now we need to educate ourselves for success.

Some points on this video:

The most effective way to convince a legislator to get them on your side:

Highest influencer is a constituent to talk to that legislator about how the policy affects him/her.  49%

Next highest influencer is contact from a person who represent many of the legislator’s constituents.   48%

Virtual or video calls from constituents.  37%

Emails, and/postal letters. 17%  – this is what most of us use so we see here this will need amped up to a higher level of engagement.

The VetStart WV program did not get funded in the budget in the 2024 WV Legislature.   Its supporters will likely try again in the future.  WV has a veterinarian shortage just as the rest of the nation does.  It has become apparent as our state has implemented the WVSNP program and received additional out of state funding to FOHO WV from the MZM Foundation to further support the spay neuter effort.  We are forever grateful for the funding but it does show that our lack of vets is an issue. However, there may be a solution with the effort to start the first four-year veterinary technology program, VetStart West Virginia. It is a program academically based at West Virginia’s Land Grant Universities (West Virginia University and West Virginia State University). The intent is to have veterinary technicians/technologists assisting veterinarians thus freeing them to perform more essential duties and foremost for FOHO even more spay neuter procedures.  The AVMA suggests 4 veterinary techs to 1 veterinarian but in WV the ratio is 1 veterinary tech to 9 veterinarians. It makes sense that this nationwide veterinarian shortage which is so negatively impacting WV could be helped with this program. What can we in the animal welfare community do to help this program get started? There is budget funding needed from the WV State Legislature for the VetStart Program. You can read more about the program below. Then call your legislators on the Senate and House Finance Committees to support the budget funding request by the Dept. of AG for the VetStart WV program. VetStart  –  Brochure on VetStart WV You can visit fohowv.org to see the list of counties and the vet availability in each of those counties. If there is a Delegate or Senator from your area on one of these committees, please reach out to them and the chair and vice chair of the committee.  It would be prudent to contact all the committee members to seek their support.  If you are a recipient of the grant money tell your story of success & how you & WV need this VetStart program.   This may be our solution for increased spay neuters in our state.  With this national crisis of a vet shortage, WV will have trouble competing.  We need to reach for the low hanging fruit and get what we can to assist the veterinarians in our state.   It cannot hurt to offer the 4 year degree either for our young people in their career choice. Senate Finance Committee https://www.wvlegislature.gov/committees/senate/SenateCommittee.cfm?Chart=fin House Finance Committee https://www.wvlegislature.gov/committees/house/HouseCommittee.cfm?Chart=fin

We continue to support the ending of greyhound racing in the state of WV.  We will be back!   Today’s Senate vote was a vote to use taxpayer dollars to make WV the animal cruelty capitol of America!

2/19/20 Democratic Senators voted as a caucus with 10 Republican Senators to defeat SB 285 with a final vote of 11 YEAS and 23 NAYS.   Floor comments proved these Senators want WV to become the greyhound capitol of America. ‘Let’s give it a chance’ they said, ‘sure some dogs die but they do in every sport.’ One Senator said ‘he did not know if the dogs were treated bad but he had been on his county commission and if you want to see dogs treated bad, just go to your local animal control center.’ It came down to jobs and the dogs were expendable!   No thought was given to the 81% of West Virginians who do NOT want this subsidy nor greyhound racing in this state. We puzzle over losing 600 jobs with the closing of Fairmont Regional Medical Center, a vital service, yet we subsidize 400 jobs from mostly ‘out of state’ breeders for a cruel industry!   Go figure. We can’t!

This is a battle lost but the war will continue until greyhound racing is eradicated in West Virginia.   There will be another session and there will certainly be another day in a voting booth.
In 2017, a bill to end it passed the WV State Legislature but then it was sadly vetoed by the Gov.   Now in 2020. there is another chance with SB 285 which will end the $15 million greyhound breeding subsidy which would end greyhound racing in our state.  SB 285 features a $3 million dollar worker retraining fund, a $1 million greyhound adoption fund plus a $500 personal tax credit to any state resident who adopts a West Virginia greyhound!

Please send this email to your delegates and Senator.   This is a guideline.  Please personalize. 

As a constituent, I’m writing to ask that you support ending greyhound racing subsidies in our state.

Every year, greyhound breeders are subsidized with more than $15 million that could otherwise be used for vital services like fixing our roads, investing in health care or substance abuse treatment. Also, an outdated state law requires casinos to hold money-losing dog races. Both of these policies need to change.

According to state records, a racing greyhound dies every ten days in West Virginia. Greyhounds endure lives of confinement, and many suffer serious injuries. Over the last decade 9,091 greyhound injuries have been reported at local dog tracks, including more than 3,000 dogs that suffered broken bones. Drugs are also systemically used to increase racing profits. For example, female greyhounds are routinely given methyltestosterone, an anabolic steroid, to prevent a loss of race days. This cruelty should not be rewarded!

Greyhound racing goes against our values, and should end. Just a year ago Florida citizens voted to phase out commercial dog racing, by a commanding 69% to 31% margin. Arkansas recently announced that greyhound racing will be phased out by 2022, leaving us as one of the final states to sanction this inhumane activity.

A recent survey by Mark Blankenship Enterprises found that 81% of West Virginia voters oppose greyhound racing subsidies. Please stand with those voters, and with me, and vote to end these subsidies as soon as possible.

A few more points that you can make on this argument against greyhound racing:

Here is more data to use in a letter to your delegate.

• $15 million in state gambling subsidies goes to greyhound breeders
• According to state record, every 10 days, a WV greyhound dies.
• 2 racetracks in WV in Wheeling and in Cross lanes could be retooled for something else. Stock car racing, Senior / Assisted Living or Residential Housing, Business Office Space or perhaps a water park? There are real world examples of former dog tracks continuing to provide jobs. The Sarasota Kennel Club is in the process of being transformed into 340 units of affordable housing and an assisted living facility. Similarly, Sanford Orlando Kennel Club is under contract to be redeveloped as a 32 acre mixed use property possibly including housing, retail, and office space.
• Gambling on dog racing in WV declines by 34% between 2010-2017
• More than 1500 greyhounds live in stacked warehouse styled kennels in WV with no limits on confinement. They are fed 4-D dogfood which is the lowest on the chain of cheap food from dying, diseased animals.
• Females are routinely given steroid drugs to ensure they can run which is prohibited elsewhere but continues in WV
• Since 2007, more than 800 disciplinary cases have been reported including 100 drug cases and 19 cases of animal abuse.
• Job loss is actually more like 200-400 and those employees can be retrained into other areas SB 285 has $3 million to retrain personnel

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There are two Facebook pages to visit on this topic.   First is GREY2K USA site:     https://www.facebook.com/GREY2KUSA/

The 2nd one is West Virginians against Greyhound Racing:     https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=west%20virginians%20against%20greyhound%20racing&epa=SEARCH_BOX

PLEASE GO LIKE BOTH OF THESE FACEBOOK PAGES TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT!

GREY2K-USA_Greyhound_Racing_in_West_Virginia      Excellent information on racing in WV!

Greyhound Protection Act Endorsement Form       Have your group endorse the effort of GRE2K to end greyhound racing.

PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION HERE!

https://greyhoundracingfacts.org/