Tax credit for pet owners! The 'HAPPY' Act.

Thank you! Now, I just have to mention that we here in the U.S. don't have national health care. So, you have something much better than what we have here. We not only have the responsibility of paying for all of our health care but the medical insurance premiums are outrageously expensive. There are way too many people in this country without health care and cannot afford insurance. I'll trade ya! Our pet care law for your health insurance!

I hear ya girl! Believe me, if I could, I'd trade you in a New York minute. Being the wealthiest nation of the Americas, it's kind of hard for we Canadians to understand WHY you (the USA) haven't had Universal Health Care, LONG before now. ??? Many times your government officials have said how much they think our health care system up here, is the one of the greatest in the world. If they believe that's true, then WHY NOT just adopt the idea, and "get on with life", so to speak? (No disrespect intended.) However I for one, do have confidence in President Obama's reform agenda. It may not come today, it may not come tomorrow, but Universal Health Care WILL eventually become a reality. It's obvious that it's far too long overdue. We may be your northern neighbors, but we DO feel for the many who struggle with your health insurance system, and for the many who can't even afford it. Homes have been lost, for gosh sake, just because of the huge cost of health bills!...and that's not right in our book, no matter HOW industrialized, or "rich", ANY nation on God's green earth they may be! That's pretty much the general consensus of how Canadians feel about it. And trust me also, we DO HEAR about it...a lot on our nightly newscasts...and are SADDENED, when we hear some citizens who want to; "Let's just keep it the way it is!"...when so many have lost so much. It's ridiculous, if not callous on their part, to think of their "fellow Americans" in that respect...or lack of it. Sorry for "ranting", but it really irks me to hear that you guys (US) are still struggling with this dilemma....and well uh...what millennia is it now? cdrxo

Hi Carolyn. I think the credit will go towards things like vaccinations, spaying/neutering, emergency care costs and things like that. Maybe medications like Heartguard and Frontline, etc. I think that if a person wanted a pet just to get the tax credit and didn't take care of their pet, they wouldn't bother with vaccinations or things like that. If they didn't do these things, they wouldn't get the credit. So, hopefully, this doesn't create a new way to abuse pets. I kind of doubt it will. If they just took the animal in for vaccinations but didn't take care of the animal, the vet would be able to tell whether it is being well-treated or not. That is an interesting theory, though. It's worth mentioning to the representatives so that vets have the authority to contact the SPCA if they suspect animal abuse. If we have to take our pets in each year for their vaccinations or get no tax credit, people who were only doing it for the money would either choose not to get a pet or, if they did abuse them but take them in every year for their shots, the vet should have some authority to report suspected abuse. That could be written into this bill. I think it should be written in to protect animals against this potential new kind of abuse. Thanks for bringing this up!

I understand exactly, paula. I've had bouts of excessive veterinary bills myself. Sometimes, I've had to put other bills on hold to pay for my pet's care. I had one pet cockatiel that cost me $400.00 in one day (it needed surgery), one little lovebird who needed bloodwork done and that cost $150.00... and we're talking a tiny little lovebird here! Yes, vet bills are awfully expensive. I am hoping that this Bill gets passed into law and that other countries follow suit if they see that this is encouraging people to take better care of their pets. Maybe it will even encourage some, who have been undecided about getting a pet or not, to get pets from shelters, thereby reducing the pet population in shelters. I'm sure that spaying/neutering our pets would be covered by this Bill if it is passed into law. I know that every country has it's problems and so many things need "fixing" but this is the first time I've ever seen something so in favor of rewarding responsible pet owners. It would be nice to see it spread to other countries.

Hi Janebeth. As far as I know, this is only a Bill proposed for the United States. I will love to see this Bill approved and passed. If it is, I hope that other countries governments do the same, or something very similar. I think it would make some pet owners take even better care of their pets, especially since they can save more money by being a pet owner. It's not like getting $3,500.00, though. That's the most that a pet owner would be able to deduct from their total income when determining how much tax they owe. Hmmm, I'm going to check to see how $3,500.00 translates into tax savings and get back to you.

that is a very good news for all of you there, and yes i am pretty sure that all of you will take good care of your pets.. i hope that the bill will be pass there and still hoping here also in our country..

Awesome, enola! I would very much like to see this Bill voted into law. It would help so many people come tax time! I will definitely be taking advantage of it if it does become a law. Some people don't like the government infringing even more on our lives but I see this as a very helpful thing for a lot of people, people who are struggling to make ends meet right now while still trying to be responsible pet owners. I have nothing to hide from the government and, if they want to spend their time peeking into my life, as boring as it is, more power to them.

I know what you mean. I have a parakeet, hamster, dog, guinea pig and three tanks full of fish. My vet bill could be out of this world. Ah, your poor love bird, I can't imagine how he feels not able to fly. I imagine you've checked all the bird websites looking for a reason and solution. After nearly a month since we've been to the vet, Poppy seems to be getting balder. She's due for another dose of meds on the 1st, I'm crossing my fingers there will be an improvement. Good luck with your love bird, oh dear, my mind just hit the rut, sorry. I'll look on the 'net and see if I can find a solution for your baby.

I hope this Bill is voted into law, too. We have two dogs and two cats. These guys haven't been too expensive since I got them but knowing that spaying/neutering, vaccinations and emergency vet care expenses will be deductible is a great idea. Hopefully, it will encourage more people to do the right thing by their pets and it might even make some people decide to become pet owners and get more pets out of animal shelters. I had a pet lovebird who lost all his feathers. He seemed quite healthy other than that. I took him to the vet and it cost me $150.00 for just one blood test! That blood test didn't determine what his problem was and they wanted me to bring him in for more blood work. There was no way I could afford another blood test for a tiny love bird at that price! I just let him live out his life as a bald bird and adjusted things in his cage for him so he didn't need to fly up on his perch. There as no flying for him anymore, poor thing! But, it was so cute whenever I called his name (Skeeter) and his little bald head would pop up from the bottom of the cage to see who was calling him. I hope you can find the cause of your poor guinea pigs problem, tcup!

I've done that myself. I even put a stray dog who was hit by a car ahead of my needs and took it to the vet's when I really didn't have the money to spend. (The dog had a punctured lung and needed to be put down, so I paid for it.) I think it may happen soon, though. I know that there are quite a lot of people who have been putting our new president down but I just read that our economy is taking a drastic turn because of his efforts to improve the economy. One of five cities is now out of the recession and that number is growing every day. So, this HAPPY Act just may be made into a law in the near future!

Hi fifileigh. The only thing I can add is that, if this Bill is made into a law, the covered expenses that can be deducted are for things like spaying/neutering, vaccinations, emergency vet care, etc. I don't think food or a pink tutu for a poodle would be covered expenses, though. I have two cats and two dogs. They've all proven themselves to be good mousers, too. I also call my two dogs "my little hairy doorbells" because they are little Maltese gals. They alert me to anyone who is coming to our door... quite loudly. I think it would be wonderful if you wrote an article to make more people aware of this Bill and, hopefully, write to their representatives in the hopes of voting it into law. It would definitely benefit a large number of pet owners who could use an extra deduction come tax time!

I know exactly what you mean, harmonee. Every time I've gone to the animal shelter, I want to take them all home with me. I think I would if it weren't for my husband who constantly tells me that we have enough pets already. (Two dogs, two cats.) I could always find room for just one more. I agree about getting pets from shelters instead of pet stores. I wish no one would ever buy a pet from a pet store. Most of their puppies come from puppy mills where they are treated like livestock. I've had so many pets from shelters I can't count them all.