Expanding Spay/Neuter Access in Ohio: A Conversation with the Ohio Pet Fund

Animal Welfare

Mar 2

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Last month, Ohio Animal Advocates published an article exploring why low-cost spay and neuter appointments are so difficult to find. As OAA Board Member, Dr. Michelle “Dr. G” Gonzalez of the Rascal Unit explained, the problem isn’t a lack of effort by clinics. It’s that demand far exceeds the number of clinics, veterinarians, and technicians available to perform these surgeries safely.

The scale of the challenge means no single solution will fix it. But organizations across Ohio are working on pieces of the puzzle.

To continue the conversation, we spoke with Leanne Bertani, President of the Ohio Pet Fund, a statewide program focused on expanding access to spay and neuter services.

Funding the Surgeries That Prevent Overpopulation

For more than twenty years, the Ohio Pet Fund has helped finance spay and neuter services across the state.

The fund was established in the Ohio Revised Code and receives most of its revenue from the sale of Ohio’s pet-themed specialty license plates. Those funds are distributed to animal shelters, humane societies, and nonprofit organizations to sterilize homeless dogs and cats.

Funding can also support surgeries for pets belonging to families with incomes below 150% of federal poverty guidelines and for animals belonging to disabled veterans.

In 2025, the Ohio Pet Fund reached a major milestone.

After years of planning and responsible financial management, the organization awarded more than $800,000 in spay and neuter grants to qualifying groups across Ohio—the largest funding effort in its history.

With the help of its all-volunteer board, the fund has actually granted more money for spay and neuter services over the past decade than it received from license plate revenue alone.

The Funding Landscape Has Changed

While license plate sales have remained steady, the funding environment has shifted dramatically.

When the Ohio Pet Fund was first created, there were fewer than a dozen specialty license plates available in the state. Today, there are more than 300, each competing for public attention and funding.

At the same time, veterinary costs—and operating costs for animal welfare organizations—have increased significantly.

To address this gap, advocates are exploring new legislative solutions.

A New Opportunity: House Bill 148

One proposal currently moving through the Ohio legislature could create an additional funding stream for spay and neuter services.

House Bill 148 would allow Ohio taxpayers to voluntarily donate all or part of their state income tax refund to support spay and neuter programs through the Ohio Pet Fund.

Similar “tax checkoff” programs exist in several states and have successfully increased public participation in animal welfare funding.

The bill has already passed the Ohio House of Representatives and is now under consideration in the Senate. If enacted, it would provide Ohio residents with a simple way to support population control efforts at the state level.

Building the Veterinary Workforce

Funding surgeries is only one part of the solution.

As discussed in our previous article, Ohio also faces a shortage of veterinarians trained and available to perform high-volume spay and neuter procedures.

To help address this gap, the Ohio Pet Fund recently partnered with Rascal Charities to provide veterinary students with hands-on “wet lab” training in High-Quality High-Volume Spay Neuter (HQHVSN) techniques.

These training opportunities allow veterinary students to build surgical confidence and efficiency while learning how high-volume clinics safely perform large numbers of procedures each day.

Improved efficiency can increase the number of surgeries clinics are able to provide—helping expand access without compromising patient care.

Advocates hope that these experiences will inspire more young veterinarians to incorporate HQHVSN work into their careers after graduation.

Educating the Public

Another important piece of the puzzle is public awareness.

Many pet owners want to do the right thing but struggle to understand why appointments are difficult to obtain or why clinics release limited scheduling windows.

Through outreach and social media education, the Ohio Pet Fund and other organizations are working to help the public better understand how the system works—and how they can support long-term solutions.

A Shared Effort

Pet overpopulation and veterinary access challenges cannot be solved by any single organization.

But progress becomes possible when funders, veterinarians, shelters, advocates, and the public all contribute to the areas where they can make an impact.

As Ohio Pet Fund representatives noted, there are many people who care deeply about animals in our communities. Harnessing that collective concern—and directing it toward practical solutions—offers real hope for expanding access to spay and neuter services across Ohio.

The work continues.