Legislators consider taxing veterinary services

In the past month, legislators have discussed new taxes on everything from golfing to amusement park tickets to alcohol.
Now they are looking at a possible 9 percent tax on veterinary services.
“That could push an already struggling economy out of control,” said local veterinarian Rhonda Stallings. The California Veterinary Medical Association is lobbying hard against the proposed tax.
Stallings doesn’t like that a tax on medical care is being thrown in with other “service taxes” on things like auto repair. Especially when many people are already struggling to take care of their pets and shelters around the county are nearly full. She said that with owners already struggling to pay bills, more might choose to euthanize their pets with serious, but treatable, conditions.
“We’ve had to go beyond our mission statement,” said Desiree Stinson, executive director of Pets Lifeline, which has always focused on taking in stray and abandoned animals. “We’re dealing with some pretty extraordinary circumstances.”
In the past, PLL has not taken in surrendered animals.
“But if we don’t take that animal in, the only option is to drive an hour west to Sonoma County where their animal may face euthanasia,” said Stinson.
PLL couldn’t turn people away and has started taking surrendered animals for the first time. The most common reason they hear for people giving up the pets is that they were forced to move into an apartment that doesn’t allow pets. However, they’ve also received some high-end dogs that need medical care or expensive procedures that an owner might struggle to cover. Last week, they had a pointer, two AKA-registered golden retrievers, a great dane and a pekingnese.
“These are expensive dogs, not just backyard dogs,” said Stinson.
Dogs are coming in fast, but the good news is that people are adopting them quickly, with seven adoptions last week.
However, the shelter currently has 60 cats awaiting adoption and is trying to figure out how to deal with all the new strays.
“People let their cats loose thinking they can fend for themselves,” said Stinson.
PLL has a feral cats program through which they spay or neuter cats that people trap and bring in, as long as the person promises to return it to its colony. They used to do it for free, but there are just so many animals that they have had to start charging.
Pets Lifeline, 19686 8th Street East, will hold a spay-neuter clinic for feral cats on Feb. 7, between 7 and 9 a.m. Call 707.996.4577 before then for advice on how to trap cats.