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| "Stamp Out" Pet Overpopulation |
| 'Neuter or Spay' Postage Stamps to be Issued by
U. S. Postal Service
A charming puppy and kitten will be
featured on new 37-cent First-Class Neuter or Spay postage stamps to be issued by the U.S. Postal Service on Sept. 20, 2002.
The Neuter or Spay stamp first day
of issue ceremony will take place at 12:30 p.m. (MDT) on Friday, Sept. 20 during a luncheon at The National Humane Conference.
This 125th annual conference is a celebration of the American Humane Association and is in the Adam's Mark Hotel, Denver,
Colo. These stamps will officially go on sale nationwide at all post offices on September 20.
The Neuter or Spay stamps portray a
male puppy and a female kitten that were photographed in a Connecticut animal shelter while awaiting adoption. Each was subsequently
neutered or spayed and adopted into a loving home. Additionally, the selvage of the pane of 20 stamps features a toll-free
telephone number, 1-888-pets911, and a website address www.pets911.com, for customers to obtain additional neuter and spay information. |
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This release will mark the first issuance
of stamps featuring a pet cat and dog since the popular 13-cent stamp of a kitten and puppy issued in 1982 and the Bright
Eyes stamps issued in 1998. These are also the first U.S. postage stamps to call attention to the pressing issue of
pet overpopulation.
The issuance of the stamps is the culmination of a grassroots campaign by thousands of citizens, community leaders,
animal health and welfare organizations, veterinarians and celebrities.
The photographs of the puppy and kitten
were taken by Sally Andersen-Bruce. Derry Noyes of Washington, D.C., was the designer and art director for the stamps.
The Postal Service has the support
of the American Partnership for Pets (APP), the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), and other
animal health and welfare groups to promote the issuance of the Neuter or Spay stamps.
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| Text taken from a United
States Postal Service press release dated May 14, 2002.
Note: This stamp will be issued at
the new first-class rate of 37 cents. |
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