Yesterday I was introduced to a new bill through a NPR news study that is currently being considered in the House of Representatives called the HAPPY Act. This bill is being introduced by U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter of Michigan and its goal is to help pet owner’s afford and pay for their pet’s care each year by providing up to a $3,500 tax deduction per year.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113791908&sc=17&f=1001
Personally as a DINK (Double Income No Kids) as I have blogged here before I am obviously in support of this new bill for many reasons, not even just selfish ones. I have read so many posts on this and it’s all a “twitter” on the social media forums as a genuine way to help people make a decision on adopting a pet by relieving some of the concern about the costs associated with pet ownership.
The Congressman states his case here on this YouTube video quite passionately stating that this bill will affect some 63 Million of Americans that own a pet and anything that the government can do to help reduce household costs of the average citizen the better.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_uiSuy7TR8
The detractors say that it is a choice to have a pet, although that is true, it is important to note that animal rights activists believe that having a pet can truly improve your life and provide health benefits.
It is also important to note that although it is nearly impossible to track real data there are studies (although the most recent I could find with any authority was from the 1997 National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy group) that show that the number of animals being relinquished to shelters and euthanized are so high that it is almost impossible to track at this point.
•Of the 1,000 shelters that replied to the National Council’s survey, 4.3 million animals were handled.
•In 1997, roughly 64 percent of the total number of animals that entered shelters were euthanized — approximately 2.7 million animals in just these 1,000 shelters. These animals may have been euthanized due to overcrowding, but may also have been sick, aggressive, injured or suffering from something else.
•56 percent of dogs and 71 percent of cats that enter animal shelters are euthanized. More cats are euthanized than dogs because they are more likely to enter a shelter without any owner identification.
•Only 15 percent of dogs and 2 percent of cats that enter animal shelters are reunited with their owners.
•25 percent of dogs and 24 percent of cats that enter animal shelters are adopted.
http://www.petpopulation.org/statsurvey.html
In summary, I think we can all agree that there are much more pressing items that need to be addressed by our government but with some support from the general public for bills such as the HAPPY Act we may be able to save a lot of animal’s lives in the coming years. I plan to reach out to my congresswoman to request her support.