About NC Pet Project
Fighting to end animal overpopulation in North Carolina through affordable services and legislative action.
The Problem
North Carolina has a severe animal overpopulation crisis. The numbers tell the story:
Despite these alarming numbers, North Carolina's existing state spay/neuter program is critically underfunded. In 2023, the program funded just 5,855 procedures and reimbursed only $341,000 to local governments. That is a fraction of what is needed.
The state's main low-cost spay/neuter provider, SNAP-NC, is not currently accepting appointments. Rural eastern North Carolina is especially underserved, with vast stretches where affordable veterinary care simply does not exist.
Meanwhile, North Carolina's breeder regulations are among the weakest in the country. Only breeders with 5 or more fertile female dogs who sell more than 30 animals per year are required to register with the state. This means the vast majority of breeders operate with no oversight whatsoever.
For a detailed look at the county-by-county data behind this crisis, including why some NC counties have euthanasia rates exceeding 100%, read NC's Pet Overpopulation Crisis: What the Numbers Really Show.
Our Solution
NC Pet Project takes a three-pronged approach to solving the animal overpopulation crisis in North Carolina:
1. Direct Services
We connect low-income pet owners with affordable spay/neuter services through our voucher program and vet partner network. If you cannot afford the surgery, we help cover the cost.
2. Legislative Advocacy
We are pushing for specific policy changes, modeled after what worked in other states:
- A statewide advocacy coalition to coordinate lobbying efforts across existing organizations, modeled after the Texas Humane Legislation Network
- A pet food industry fee to create a self-sustaining spay/neuter fund with zero taxpayer dollars, following Maryland's model that has generated $9.8 million
- An increase to the rabies tag surcharge from $0.20 to bring NC in line with states like New Hampshire ($1.75 per dog license)
- Direct state appropriations for spay/neuter programs, following Texas's $13 million investment
- Mandatory shelter data transparency requiring all shelters to publish intake and outcome data, following Delaware's model that helped it become the first no-kill state
- Stronger breeder licensing requirements to prevent puppy mills and reduce intake at shelters
3. Community Organizing
We build a statewide network of county-level volunteers who organize local events, connect pet owners with resources, and create political pressure for reform.
Proof This Works
Other states have shown that animal overpopulation is a solvable problem when the right policies are in place:
New Hampshire: Dog License Surcharge
Attorney Peter Marsh co-founded Solutions to Overpopulation of Pets (STOP) in 1991 and drafted RSA 437-A, which added a $1.75 surcharge to annual dog licenses to fund a Companion Animal Neutering Fund. He framed it as a public health measure (rabies prevention), not just animal welfare, making it politically palatable.
Results: Between 1993 and 2000, shelter killings dropped from 11,494 to 2,575, a reduction of nearly 78%. Over 70% of NH vets participate. In 2021, Best Friends Animal Society designated New Hampshire the second no-kill state in the country.
Maryland: Pet Food Industry Fee
In 2013, Maryland passed Senate Bill 820, establishing a spay/neuter grant program funded entirely by the pet food industry. Every pet food product registered for sale in the state pays a $100 annual fee per product label. No taxpayer dollars are involved.
Results: More than $9.8 million awarded to 355 grant projects, funding over 143,000 spay/neuter surgeries statewide. The program is entirely self-sustaining.
Delaware: Legislative Infrastructure
Delaware passed a modified Companion Animal Protection Act (CAPA) and an Animal Shelter Standards Law requiring all shelters to provide veterinary care and publish lifesaving data publicly. The state also consolidated animal control under a single Office of Animal Welfare, eliminating fragmentation across counties.
Results: Shelter killing declined 65% within a few years of CAPA's passage. In 2018, Delaware became the first state in the country to achieve no-kill status.
Texas: Direct State Appropriation
The Texas Humane Legislation Network (THLN), a 501(c)(4) founded in 1975, spent decades building relationships in the legislature. They framed spay/neuter as a public health and fiscal issue, labeled their proposal a "pilot program" to lower political risk, and secured bipartisan support.
Results: A $13 million state appropriation in 2025 (via a rider to the state budget), with grants of $50,000 to $500,000 for shelters, nonprofits, and vet clinics. Demand was so high that every grant slot was claimed within 32 days of applications opening.
Colorado: Layered Funding Model
Colorado built three complementary funding mechanisms: a state income tax checkoff (since 2001), an Adopt-a-Shelter-Pet license plate (since 2011), and a spay/neuter deposit refund system where adoption deposits are refunded upon proof of sterilization. Forfeited deposits feed back into the fund.
Results: Over $9.6 million allocated through the Colorado Pet Overpopulation Fund. The tax checkoff alone has funded 88,800 surgeries.
No-Kill Success Stories
Four states have achieved full no-kill status (saving 90%+ of shelter animals): Delaware, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Massachusetts is on the brink, needing just 300 more adoptions to become the fifth. Every one of these states invested in accessible spay/neuter programs and shelter accountability.
NC Already Has a Secret Weapon
The ASPCA Spay/Neuter Alliance (ASNA) in Asheville, NC is one of the largest high-volume, low-cost spay/neuter clinics in the country. Since 1994, they have performed over 566,000 surgeries and currently complete approximately 350 surgeries per week.
ASNA also trains an average of 250 veterinarians each year in high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter techniques, and partners with more than 45 animal welfare organizations across 44 counties.
The problem is that ASNA primarily serves western North Carolina. The eastern half of the state, especially rural communities, remains a "spay/neuter access desert." NC Pet Project aims to fill that gap.
Our Mission
To make affordable spay/neuter services accessible in all 100 North Carolina counties while driving the legislative reforms needed to solve this crisis for good: sustainable funding through a pet food industry fee and increased state investment, mandatory shelter data transparency, a statewide advocacy coalition, and stronger breeder regulations.