USA Today is reporting that Representative Thaddeus McCotter, a Republican from Michigan, has proposed a bill which would allow people to deduct up to $3,500 per year on their taxes for expenses related to pet health care. From reading the bill, it sounds as if you can deduct not only vet care, but also food, accessories, and supplies.
Known as The Happy (Humanity And Pets Partnered through the Years) Act, the bill is now being debated in the House Committee on Ways and Means. The goal of the bill is to encourage responsible pet care and reduce the abandonment of pets which has skyrocketed during the current recession.
Citing research from the American Pet Products Association’s National Pet Owners Survey, the bill states that 63% of us have pets in the household. The bill also makes note of the positive effects the human-animal bond has on our emotional and physical well being.
Support the bill by calling or writing your Congressman and asking him to vote for house bill HR3501. You can find contact information for elected officials by entering your zip code here.
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!
I’ve posted many times about service dogs, how expensive they are to train, and how valuable they are to the people they assist. It’s inconceivable to me that a school district is now in front of the courts, trying to ban an assistance dog from attending school with his autistic charge, a six-year old boy.
Dateline: Sacramento
I saw this in our comments section yesterday, and since not everybody reads the comments, I wanted to post it here. Seems like you can’t even trust people who claim to be Good Samaritans any more. 
CBS news reported yesterday on a unique bond between a certain Charlotte, NC firefighter and the dogs he finds at fire scenes. About 9 or 10 years ago, he rescued Cinnamon, a beautiful Dobie from a house fire, and the Charlotte Observer ran this picture which attracted worldwide attention.
Earlier this week, handlers of Gidget, the chihuahua made famous by starring in Taco Bell commercials, announced that the dog suffered a massive stroke and had to be euthanized at the age of 15.
I received a couple of e-mails last week with information on a new