Posted: Friday, August 7, 2009 9:17 am

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A Dresden animal shelter received a bit of good news on Tuesday with the announcement by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture that places nearly $2,000 in the hands of the shelter.
Through the help of license plate sales, 56 non-profit animal care and rescue organizations were awarded $95,200.
Red Fern Animal Shelter outside of Dresden received $1,700 of the grant money to go toward spay/neuter programs for the shelter.
Mid-South Spay & Neuter Services in Memphis through the help of the TDA will distribute the funds.. The grants supports low cost spay/neuter programs in Tennessee and are funded through Animal Friendly license plate sales.
“This is a great program that not only helps control the number of unwanted animals but it also provides important animal and public health benefits,” said Jimmy Hopper, TDA Director of Regulatory Services.
“Every dollar the agency receives goes directly to spay and neuter services. Citizens can be assured that their money is going directly to the mission of the license plate.”
Every Animal Friendly license plate sale contributes more than $15 to fund the grants.
This year, $95,200 was awarded to a total of 56 different non-profit animal care and rescue organizations and government agencies.
Each grant totaled $1,700. The total funds are much lower this year, due mainly to fewer people renewing their Animal Friendly license plates.
“The Animal Friendly license plate grant program provides funds for communities to actively work on a solution for reducing unwanted animals,” said Amy Kalkbrenner, Mid-South Spay-Neuter Services Executive Director.
“Spaying and neutering your pets not only eliminates unwanted litters, but also prevents diseases and can increase a pet’s lifespan.”
Reducing the number of unwanted animals also helps reduce cases of animal cruelty, starvation and lowers the instances of disease.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture works to prevent, control and eradicate certain infectious or communicable diseases of livestock and other domestic animals.
The agency houses the State Veterinarian Office, has a network of three animal diagnostic labs and helps coordinate Disaster Animal Response Teams.
For more information on the Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Animal Friendly Grant, visit www.TN.gov/agriculture/regulatory/spayneuter.html. Citizens should contact their county clerk’s office to purchase an Animal Friendly license plate.
WCP 7.30.09