Georgia Department of Agriculture  Tommy Irvin, Commissioner
19 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. SW, Atlanta, GA 30334
www.agr.georgia.gov

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  September 12, 2008
Contact: Jeanne Bohannan or Arty Schronce at 404-656-3689

Feline Friend License Plate Design Winner Announced

Randalyn “Randy” Bieniek of Duluth is the winner of the Georgia Department of Agriculture’s spay-neuter license plate design contest, Commissioner of Agriculture Tommy Irvin announced today.

Ms. Bieniek’s depiction of “Hope,” a black-and-white tuxedo short-hair, received the most votes in the contest and will appear on the Feline Friend license plate.  Sales of this plate will help pay for spay and neuter procedures on cats and dogs.

During the 18-day voting period, more than 12,000 participants voted on six designs which had been chosen from a pool of more than 200 pieces of art submitted.

“We received such a diverse array of high-quality art,” said Commissioner Irvin, “that it was difficult to choose just six finalists.  I was very pleased with the overwhelming response to the request for submissions and in the number of people who voted on the final design.  This contest has helped increase the awareness of cat and dog overpopulation and the need to spay or neuter, and this new license plate will carry that message to the streets and highways of Georgia and the country.”

To view the winning license plate design, visit www.fixgeorgiacats.org.

The new Feline Friend license plate will be sold in addition to the two other spay-neuter license plates beginning in December 2008.  The license plates are the primary funding source for the Dog and Cat Sterilization Program (DCSP).  The program helps pay for spay and neuter procedures performed by licensed and accredited veterinarians in all Georgia counties.  More than 35,000 spay and neuter procedures have been performed since 2003 through the DCSP.  More than $22 from each license plate sold directly benefits the program which saves taxpayers money by curbing dog and cat overpopulation.

For more information on the healthy choice of spaying and neutering and to find out how to receive a discount on your pet’s spay-neuter procedure, visit www.agr.georgia.gov.  You may also contact your local veterinarian to confirm program participation or call the Georgia Department of Agriculture at 404-656-3667.

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