A message in the mail It took years of asking to get the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to issue a postage stamp that promoted spaying and neutering. The HSUS asked our members to write several times, and thousands of you did! Thanks to animal lovers across the country, the USPS finally gave its "Neuter or Spay" stamps the go ahead in 2001.
When the USPS invited The HSUS and five other animal protection organizations to meet in November 2001, we had no idea the extent to which the USPS would go to promote the stamps.
After the meeting, we joined with four of the groups to form the American Partnership for Pets (APP) coalition. The APP's goal was to sell as many stamps as possible to show the USPS that animal advocacy stamps could be real moneymakers for the often struggling service. The stamps would also educate people about the need to spay or neuter their pets.
The USPS looked to the APP to promote the stamps throughout the year they would be on sale. The USPS didn't want the interest at the stamp's release tapering off three or four months down the road. We assured it that animal lovers would continue to buy the stamps as fast as they could be printed—right up to September 2003, when the stamps will be discontinued. When we also promised a complete sellout of the stamps, the USPS told us that every group had made the same promise about their respective stamps, and that it's never been done. Over the next several months, however, we and the other groups in the APP worked to show the USPS the extent of our collective outreach to the public.
The hard work has paid off. The USPS ordered a print run of 250 million stamps, far more than the normal run for commemorative stamps—usually around 80 million. We hope to sell out the stamps and to do it quickly enough that the USPS will consider reprinting them.
During discussions about what would be the best way to use the stamps to promote spaying and neutering, the APP agreed that www.pets911.com and 1-888-PETS-911 should be printed on every pane of stamps, enabling people to find spaying and neutering services in their areas.
And The HSUS staff designated May 2003 the "Stamp Out Action Month" to continue to highlight the stamps and spread the spay and neuter message. We ask that everyone use only the Neuter or Spay stamps on all mail during this month. As a reminder, you'll see the stamp highlighted in The HSUS 2003 Pet Lovers calendar. The HSUS is promoting the use of the Neuter or Spay stamps on all of our mailings under the "Seven Steps to a Happier Pet." And on our website and in e-mail alerts and other HSUS publications, we are urging constituents to use the stamps now.
The APP also asked shelters to get involved in promoting the stamp with their local post offices. Again, we were thrilled at the response from animal protection groups, shelters, and post offices. The HSUS regional offices participated in several "First Day of Issue" events, all of which were well attended. And we continue hearing about events that help educate the public. Some post offices even competed to see which could sell more stamps, while a handful went so far as to set up mobile spay/neuter clinics for customers.
The HSUS will continue to promote the use of the spay/neuter stamps, and we hope that you will join us in using them. We have been given a real opportunity as animal lovers—and we must take advantage of it. Please be sure to use the spay/neuter stamps on your letters and packages. If your local office is sold out you can order them online at www.usps.gov.
