The state managed Dog and Cat Sterilization Fund, which was so successful in helping to spay and neuter 19,000 animals before it ran out of money last spring, will begin to subsidize the again soon. New funding will come from the sales of a new specialty auto tag that will become available soon. The new tag takes the place of the previous version of the tag which sold really well when it came out three years ago. Georgia changes the design of the auto tag every 7 years, and every car gets a new one when the registration is renewed. Many people choose a specialty tag from the dozens of options that are available for an additional fee, which goes to the designated cause. The spay-neuter tag was well received and brought a lot of money to the fund in a short time. After the first year, everyone had changed tags and sales of new tags fell off sharply, as only those buying new cars and people moving from another state bought them. The fund was very popular and may have helped prevent the birth of well over 100,000 puppies and kittens. But soon it was spending money faster than it was coming in, and by April of last year the fund was out of money and operations were suspended until new sources of money could be found.

The original tags won't have to be replaced for a few years, but it is hoped that many of the people who purchased the current tag will like the new one enough to purchase it early to help bring the fund back to life. The old tag has a drawing of a dog and cat facing each other in profile, and from a distance it is hard to tell what it is. The new tag will have a drawing of a yellow Labrador retriever that is easy to identify and looks much nicer.