PennyFix: Reducing Pet Overpopulation for Pennies
Latest update January 2023
I have the opportunity to serve on the board for a nationwide spay and neuter initiative called PennyFix. We are a non-profit and are working on getting endorsements and spreading our mission to make the initiative a reality.
Why PennyFix is needed
The number of homeless dogs and cats exceeds the number of potential adopters. Through a penny added to each can of pet food sold, PennyFix will provide free spays and neuters to dogs and cats across the US. This will help ensure that perfectly adoptable animals will not be euthanized due to overpopulation. It will not happen overnight, but we know we can make a difference.
The money raised from PennyFix will only be used for the following: spaying and neutering, distemper vaccines, and rabies vaccines for all dogs and cats. PennyFix is 100% volunteer and we pay our overhead costs out of pocket so 100% of donations go toward our spay and neuter grants.
Millions of tax dollars are spent annually to care for, shelter, or euthanize stray, abandoned and unwanted pets. Through PennyFix, all strays, ferals, and owned dogs and cats could be sterilized. This will reduce the population by millions and eliminating the state and local money needed for animal control.
Here’s an example of how PennyFix will work:
One penny will be added to each can of pet food sold.
If 10,000 cat and dog owners feed their pets a can of food per day for a year, we will have raised $36,500!
If 500,000 cat and dog owners feed their pets a can of cat food per day for a year, we will have raised $1,825,000!
That’s a lot of money for spaying and neuter and each owner will have only paid $3.65 extra.
Using the above statistics, how many cats and dogs can PennyFix help? Each pet will be spayed or neutered and given a rabies and distemper vaccine. According to Petfinder, the average cost for these routine surgeries is around $200. Using this average, one can of pet food per day for a year purchased by 10,000 pet owners can fund 182 spays or neuters. If 500,000 pet owners purchase one can of pet food per day for a year, we can fund 9,125 spays or neuters!
Making a difference is not going to cost pet food purchasers a lot more money and we hope they will see the benefit in paying just a penny more per can of food bought. Every pet owner in the United States should have access to have their pets spayed or neutered regardless of cost. PennyFix hopes to make that a reality.
Other ways to raise funds
Adding a penny a can is just one way we are raising funds and we have been writing to pet food companies, but so far we have not heard back from many of them. We are also writing to local businesses and other pet related companies to solicit donations.
We have very generous donors who have been a big part of moving our mission forward. As of January 2023, we have provided grants to over 100 organizations in 37 states and Puerto Rico for a total of over 3,000 dogs and cats spayed and neutered.
Our waitlist continues to grow, so we know that what we’re doing is vitally important to every community in the United States. We are motivated and hopeful that we will succeed, but we can’t do it without you!
Learn more about PennyFix by visiting our website or like us on Facebook! You can also sign up for the PennyFix Newsletter and read previous issues here!
Donate to PennyFix here:
Thank you for your support!