The license plate on any car celebrates the diversity of the state it represents. By itself, Oregon touts plates that feature Smokey Bear, the Portland Trail Blazers, wineries and Crater Lake, among others. Why not cats and dogs with the educational emphasis on spaying and neutering? The Willamette Animal Guild (WAG) spay/neuter project is aiming to get that message out with the Oregon Loves Its Pets license plates. Vouchers for the plates went on sale near Thanksgiving of 2019. To date, Katie Gray of WAG says 350 vouchers have been sold. The goal is to sell 3,000. The art on the plate, Gray says, was done by Eugene graphic artist Lee Ordonez, who donated his time. Gray started this project for WAG in 2015 (“It’s more of a marathon than a sprint,” she says) and notes that if 3,000 vouchers are sold, Oregon’s Department of Motor Vehicles will begin production of the plates. WAG will use the proceeds to establish a “Spay It Forward Oregon” fund in which grants will be made available to other Oregon organizations supporting low-cost spay and neuter services.

Pre-sale vouchers for WAG’s “Oregon Loves Its Pets” spay/neuter license plates are at WagWag.org. $40.