AUGUSTA – Emboldened by New Hampshire’s success, 70 Maine veterinarians are participating in a spay/neuter program for pets of low-income owners.

The goal is to save the lives of thousands of pets each year.

In 1994, New Hampshire was the first state to established a state-funded, low-income spaying and neutering program. Since then there has been a 34 percent decrease in animal shelter intakes, and a 75 percent reduction in euthanasia.

That’s why Norma J. Worley and Susan Hall believe Maine’s program will work. It began Monday.

“Animal shelter owners have been chomping at the bits to get the information out on this program,” said Worley, director of the Department of Agriculture’s Animal Welfare Program in Augusta.

Hall, a 1971 graduate of Dirigo High School in Dixfield, spearheaded a grass-roots effort called Spay Maine to persuade the Legislature to institute the program.

“It’s a pretty awful thing to have to put down a healthy animal. It’s really so horrible. People who do it have nightmares, and some even have to go for counseling,” said Hall, of Falmouth.

In 2000, Maine had 23,457 shelter intakes and 8,176 euthanasias. For comparison, in 2000, New Hampshire shelters had 12,800 intakes and 2,575 euthanasias.

Both Hall and Worley say Maine’s figures are low estimates, because only 12 shelters reported. But all shelters are to be required to report under the new spay/neuter program.

“We have a lot of support from shelters, veterinarians and animal groups who have been struggling against the tide to get our euthanasia numbers down,” Hall said.

Spay Maine is a consortium of Maine’s animal shelters, rescue groups, animal control officers and animal welfare advocates who are working together to decrease animal shelter intakes and euthanasias.

“The Maine Veterinarians Association has been nothing but supportive of this,” Hall said.

Maine’s spay/neuter program targets low-income dog and cat owners, people who qualify for state social programs, like Maine Care, Supplemental Security Income, or food stamps, Worley said.

“And they don’t even have to be on such a program; they just have to be eligible for it,” she said.

Eligible applicants must provide co-payments of $10 for cats and $20 for dogs. The state picks up the rest of the cost, Worley said. The new program also provides a public health benefit: Each animal receives a rabies vaccination.

More information about the program may be obtained by calling (800) 367-1317.

“We can take people’s names and send them applications. We have to make sure they qualify for the program,” Worley said.

Maine’s Animal Welfare Program has had the authority for a low-income spay/neuter program, but lacked the money.

Last year’s increase in dog licensing fees, however, gave the new program the bulk of its $100,000 startup money.

Ninety percent of dog license fees go directly to fighting animal abuse and cruelty in Maine, Hall said.

“There are thousands of people to benefit from this program. I’m sure that we will just blow right through our money real quick,” Worley said.

More money is on the way.

On May 6, Gov. John Baldacci signed into law a bill introduced by House Speaker Patrick Colwell to create a voluntary checkoff on individual income tax forms for donations to the state spay/neuter fund.

Hall said the checkoff goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2005.