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United We Spay

United We Spay

By: Stacy LeBaron
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Welcome to United We Spay - the show dedicated to promoting affordable spay/neuter services across the USA and beyond. In each episode, we delve into the heart of a movement that's changing the lives of animals and communities for the better. Our mission is clear: build awareness, educate, and empower. In this podcast, we'll explore the inspiring stories and voices that drive the spay/neuter movement, all while keeping our eyes on the bigger picture. Hosted by Stacy LeBaron, our team at United Spay Alliance is here to make a difference by tackling the root causes of overpopulation, ensuring that every animal has the chance for a better life. Join us as we embark on a journey to address the problems and pain points faced by grassroots rescue and shelter workers, and the general public. We'll answer the three most common questions we receive, discuss the challenges of finding low-cost spay/neuter services, and explore strategies for recruiting more veterinarians to support these crucial efforts. What truly irks us is when the animal welfare space fixates on the symptoms of overpopulation, rather than focusing on prevention through spay/neuter. We believe it's time to change the conversation. Moreover, it breaks our hearts to witness the animal welfare landscape taking steps backward, reverting to a time before the spay/neuter movement's progress. We're committed to ensuring that history does not repeat itself. The problem we aim to solve is clear: there are too few people with access to affordable spay/neuter services, leading to unwanted litters, overcrowded shelters, and other avoidable consequences. Our podcast seeks to be a platform for solutions, education, and empowerment. We're honored to serve our best stakeholders, the dedicated individuals actively involved in grassroots rescue and shelter work. We understand that the general public often remains unaware of the scale and impact of the current veterinary shortage, as well as the challenges in finding affordable spay/neuter services. We're here to bridge that knowledge gap. So, join us on United We Spay where we're all about making a difference, spreading knowledge, and building a stronger, more compassionate world for animals. Together, we can put prevention at the forefront and shine a spotlight on the importance of spay/neuter in the animal welfare space.2024 Biological Sciences Politics & Government Science
Episodes
  • How West Virginia Built a Spay/Neuter Program That Works with Steve Tennant

    How West Virginia Built a Spay/Neuter Program That Works with Steve Tennant
    Jul 2 2026

    Steve Tennant has spent more than 25 years advocating for animals in West Virginia — work that eventually led him to the board of the Federation of Humane Organizations of West Virginia (FOHO WV), which has been fighting for a statewide spay/neuter program since its founding in 1993. Getting there required years of grassroots lobbying at the state legislature, navigating unfunded laws, and waiting for the right political moment. That moment came in 2017, when a new agriculture commissioner read FOHO's white paper and went to bat for the program. The West Virginia Spay and Neuter Assistance Program officially launched in 2018 at $450,000 — half of what was needed, but enough to start — funded entirely by a surcharge on pet food manufacturer fees, not taxpayer dollars.

    Seven years in, the results are undeniable. More than 85,000 animals have been spayed or neutered, shelter intake numbers are declining statewide, and an anonymous private donor contributed over $4 million to bring the program to full funding. A 2027 sunset provision was successfully removed this past legislative session. With 85+ organizations applying for grants across all 55 counties and seven spay/neuter clinics operating statewide, West Virginia has become a national model — proof that persistence, smart funding, and the right allies can turn decades of advocacy into a program that delivers real results.

    In this episode you will hear:

    • The story of Steve's 2007 weekly rescue drives to a central West Virginia gas chamber shelter — and how that experience set the course for everything that followed

    • How the fight to ban gas chambers and the fight for a statewide spay/neuter program ran in parallel, and why winning one cleared the path for the other

    • The founding of FOHO WV in 1993 and the original vision that took nearly three decades to fully realize

    • What grassroots lobbying actually looks like: years of legislative visits until the statehouse staff knows you by name and knows why you're there

    • How the right agriculture commissioner in 2017 changed everything — and why white papers and relationships matter in policy advocacy

    • The pet food manufacturer surcharge funding model: how West Virginia built a program that costs the average taxpayer nothing

    • A breakdown of how the voucher program works: grantee organizations, grant cycles, direct payment to vets and spay/neuter clinics from the Department of Agriculture

    • 85,000+ animals served in seven years, with declining statewide shelter intake numbers as proof the program is working

    • The fight to remove the 2027 sunset provision, and why long-term program security matters as much as annual funding

    • How an anonymous $4+ million private donation doubled the program budget — and demonstrated that proven results attract private investment

    • Rural access realities in West Virginia: seven clinics dispersed statewide, volunteer drivers making two- and three-hour trips, and a shortage of vets that advocates are navigating with dedication

    • Why cats dominate the numbers in West Virginia's program — and how TNR practitioners are taking advantage of the voucher system

    • West Virginia's pre-adoption spay/neuter requirement and how it complements the voucher program to close population gaps

    • Whether a model like this can scale to larger states — and Steve's direct, optimistic answer

    • How to connect with FOHO WV and the West Virginia Spay and Neuter Assistance Program if you want to replicate or adapt this model in your own state

    Resources from this episode:

    • Federation of Humane Organizations of West Virginia (FOHO WV)

    • West Virginia Spay and Neuter Assistance Program (WVSNP) — WV Department of Agriculture

    • Supporters of FOHO WV on Facebook
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    23 mins
  • Taking the Clinic to the Community with Dr. Sara White

    Taking the Clinic to the Community with Dr. Sara White
    Jun 4 2026
    In 1998, Sara White graduated from North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine and went to work in a New Hampshire animal shelter. What she saw there — feral cats at a local Catholic shrine, accidental litters flooding shelters, communities with no access to affordable spay/neuter — convinced her that something had to change. With mentorship from Dr. Leslie Appel of Shelter Outreach Services and a grant from the ASPCA, she launched Spay ASAP in 2006: a nonprofit MASH-style mobile clinic that loads surgical equipment into a car and brings the OR to wherever the community needs it. Since then, she's spayed or neutered over 73,000 animals across Vermont and New Hampshire, operating out of church basements, apartment community rooms, and animal shelter grooming spaces alike. The efficiency of the MASH model isn't accidental — it's structural. By focusing exclusively on spay/neuter, keeping overhead minimal, and delegating scheduling and volunteer coordination to host organizations, Dr. White charges prices that general practices simply can't match. She also addresses the broader veterinary landscape: consolidation, COVID-era retirements, and a growing shortage of vets willing to serve underserved communities — and makes the case that high-volume, community-access care and high-touch general practice aren't in competition; both are essential. Dr. White and Stacy also dig into the science around spay/neuter timing — pushing back on the trend of delaying procedures in large-breed dogs and making a clear case for prepubertal spay/neuter in cats, including surgeries on kittens as young as six weeks. It's a stance that aligns fully with United Spay Alliance's Feline Fix by Five program. And for anyone thinking about launching a spay/neuter program of their own, Dr. White's closing message is simple: don't wait for perfect. Start doing the good. In this episode you will hear: How the MASH clinic model works — and what makes it so cost-effective compared to brick-and-mortar spay/neuter clinicsWhat state practice acts mean for mobile clinic operations, and why it's the first thing to research before launchingHow Dr. White structures pricing to serve low-income communities without relying on fundraisingThe shifting veterinary landscape: consolidation, vet shortages, and the case for community-access careWhy the research on delaying spay/neuter in dogs is less settled than widely assumed — and what that means for familiesDr. White's approach to pediatric spay/neuter in kittens, including the case for operating at six weeksWhy Feline Fix by Five matters — and how it aligns with the science on early feline spay/neuterA powerful takeaway for aspiring clinic founders: start doing the good before you've built the perfect Resources from this episode: ergovet.com — Dr. Sara White's website covering ergonomics, her MASH clinic model, and links to her research Spay ASAP Inc. — Dr. White's nonprofit MASH-style mobile spay/neuter clinic serving Vermont and New Hampshire Feline Fix by Five — United Spay Alliance's campaign advocating for spay/neuter before five months of age United Spay Alliance — learn more and find resources at unitedspayalliance.org Contact United Spay Alliance: info@unitedspayalliance.org
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    31 mins
  • Beyond the Boundaries: The Inspiring Story of Dr. Jeff, the Rocky Mountain Vet with Melinda Grohol

    Beyond the Boundaries: The Inspiring Story of Dr. Jeff, the Rocky Mountain Vet with Melinda Grohol
    May 7 2026
    What does it take to go beyond what's prescribed, to follow a calling, and to tell a story that simply won't let you go? In this episode, Stacy LeBaron speaks with Melinda Grohol, a longtime freelance writer whose passion for people and animals led her to write the official biography of Dr. Jeff Young — the beloved veterinarian known to millions as Dr. Jeff: Rocky Mountain Vet on Animal Planet. Melinda's connection to spay/neuter runs deep. Growing up in a time when pet reproduction was simply left to nature, she witnessed firsthand the consequences of unchecked overpopulation. That early awareness, deepened by friendships with shelter workers and encounters with advocates like Esther Mechler and Dr. Jeff himself, solidified her belief that spay/neuter is the most powerful tool available for preventing animal suffering. The book, Beyond the Boundaries: The Life and Times of Dr. Jeff, the Rocky Mountain Vet, traces Dr. Jeff's remarkable journey — from his pivotal early decision never to euthanize healthy animals, to his work training veterinarians both in the U.S. and around the world, to the personal challenges that have shaped his life and career. Melinda shares the stories that moved her most, including the chapter featuring letters from former students Dr. Jeff trained, the forward written by United Spay Alliance founder Esther Mechler, and memorable tales of Fred the clinic dog — a golden retriever Dr. Jeff rescued and who now tends to recovering patients in the clinic. Melinda herself is a bookseller at Barnes & Noble with a long career writing about people and causes that make a difference. She describes feeling genuinely compelled to tell Dr. Jeff's story — certain that if she didn't, she would regret it for the rest of her life. In this episode you will hear: How Melinda came to write Dr. Jeff's biography — and why she felt she had no choice but to tell his storyThe defining moment that shaped Dr. Jeff's lifelong commitment to spay/neuter: being asked to euthanize 56 healthy puppies early in his careerHow Dr. Jeff built his practice around a non-negotiable rule — every pet that comes in must be spayed or neuteredWhat makes Dr. Jeff such an effective teacher of new veterinarians and how he mentors them through hands-on, side-by-side instructionStories of Dr. Jeff's work with exotic and unexpected animals — including spaying a jaguar and neutering a camel in rural ColoradoThe heartwarming story of Fred, the golden retriever Dr. Jeff rescued and who now serves as an unofficial clinic comforter for post-surgery animalsThe power of trust, collaboration, and handshake agreements in Dr. Jeff's approach to veterinary work around the worldWhy Melinda believes Dr. Jeff is a role model not just for aspiring vets, but for anyone who wants to rethink how we care for our animals Resources from this episode: Beyond the Boundaries: The Life and Times of Dr. Jeff, the Rocky Mountain Vet by Melinda Grohol — available on Amazon and Barnes & NobleDr. Jeff: Rocky Mountain Vet — Animal Planet series featuring Dr. Jeff YoungUnited Spay Alliance: unitedspayalliance.orgEsther Mechler, President & Founder, United Spay Alliance — unitedspayalliance.org/about/board
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    25 mins
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