Tail Talk

Every once in a while a bill is presented by our legislators that I can really get on board with, and I hope you will also.  The ASPCA Advocacy Alert sent out a notification that Congressman Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) is sponsoring a bill in the House of Representatives called the HAPPY Act, or the Humanity and Pets Partnered Through The Years (“HAPPY”) Act, which is legislation to allow individuals to claim tax deductions for qualified pet car expenses.  The bill would allow any taxpayer who legally owns one or more domesticated animals to take an annual income tax deduction of up to $3,500 for pet care expenses, including veterinary care costs.

Pet care can be expensive—and in these trying economic times, families all over the country have been forced to give up their pets because of financial hardship. The HAPPY Act is important because it will help Americans provide their pets with the medical attention and quality of life they deserve, while also ensuring that more pets get to remain in their loving homes and don’t wind up on the streets or in the already overburdened shelter system.

What You Can Do

Use the letter below to mail your U.S. representative now and urge him or her to support and cosponsor the HAPPY Act, H.R. 3501! Please keep in mind that personal comments strengthen the impact of your letter, so adding your thoughts to the words we have provided will add additional impact to your letter:

Please Help Pet Owners: Support H.R. 3501, the HAPPY Act

Dear Congressman (add name here),

As a concerned constituent, I am writing to urge you to support and cosponsor H.R. 3501, the Humanity and Pets Partnered Through the Years (“HAPPY”) Act. This important legislation would allow an annual tax deduction of up to $3,500, per taxpayer, for qualified pet care expenses. “Qualified pet care expenses” include veterinary care costs for individuals who care for legally owned, domesticated live animals.

Pet care can be expensive–and in these trying economic times, families all over the country have been forced to give up their pets because of financial hardship. The HAPPY Act is important because it would help Americans provide their pets with the medical attention and quality of life they deserve, while also ensuring that more pets get to remain in their loving homes and don’t wind up on the streets or in the already overburdened shelter system.

* Please personalize your message by inserting your comments here

Sincerely,

Your name

Your address

Your city, state, zip

For the greatest impact nothing beats a letter sent through the mail.  However, if you don’t have the time go to TailTalk.org and I’ll have a link to the ASPCA.org website where you can enter your zip code and you can email your letter directly to your legislator.  No matter how you decide to contact them, please take a moment and make that contact.  We can all use the help with taking care of our animals and when the government is willing to get on board and help us by putting money back in our pockets at the end of the year, then I’m all for it.

And never forget, it is only through you that the Randolph County Humane Society continues to save lives, one by one.

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 27th, 2009 at 11:55 am and is filed under Animal Lover, pets, shelter dogs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.