There is a hodge-podge of laws among the states and territories, and often it is up to individual landlords to decide whether pets are allowed. As the rental market tightens, people are being forced to sacrifice their pets to secure a place to live.
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So far in 2022, 616 animals had been surrendered – more than half were cats or kittens, about one in five were dogs or puppies, and the rest were other species.
That was about 22% of all surrenders, and compared with 432 last year and just 259 in 2019. “It’s the default in SA not to allow pets … in an already tight rental market, the playing field’s just not level,” Jones said.
In the Australian Capital Territory, new rental laws enacted in 2019 mean tenancy agreements cannot ban pets completely. RSPCA ACT said there had not been an increase in animals abandoned because their owners need a rental property, but a spokesperson said it remained an issue, despite the change in the law.In Victoria, where the laws changed in 2020 to stop landlords unreasonably restricting pets, the RSPCA had seen a slight decrease in surrenders.In Western Australia, where RSPCA WA is pushing for the state government to follow the lead of the ACT and Victoria, up to 15% of the animals handed in were from owners unable to find a pet-friendly rental.The rental crisis meant people had to “make the heartbreaking choice between surrendering their beloved pet or putting a roof over their family’s head”, said the RSPCA WA’s chief executive officer, Ben Cave.Make Yourself the Funnest Thing in the World for a Reliable Recall. When training your dog to “come here” make sure you’re giving out a lot of praise & treats. The goal is to make coming back to you the best decision they could have made, if not your dog is likely going to decide that whatever he was chasing/sniffing is more interesting.
Renters have no recourse if a landlord denies them a lease, and RSPCA WA wants changes so landlords have to provide “a good reason to refuse a renter’s request to keep a pet”.“This is a much more sensible approach where the landlord and tenant can have a mature conversation about whether it is reasonable for the proposed pet to live in a particular dwelling,” Cave said.Get Educated. The first step to being an outstanding pet owner, according to Dr. Becker, is taking responsibility. “Nobody ever says ‘I was a lousy pet owner.’ It’s always the pet’s fault.” Learn the peculiarities of your pet’s breed such as how much exercise they need, how gregarious they are, how much maintenance their coat requires, how often they need to go outside, and about new technologies, products, and nutrition that might help you care for your pet. Knowing the basics about your pet’s upkeep ensures you won’t be caught off guard by troubling behavior.
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Queensland has introduced laws to get rid of automatic pet refusals, the Northern Territory has similar laws and, while some in Tasmania are pushing for changes, tenants now need permission from landlords to have pets.Guardian Australia asked the Australian Landlords Association for comment.Keep Dry Dog Food Fresh in a Sealed Container. Dog food can start to loose it’s freshness after it’s open. If you buy bags of dog food use an airtight sealed container to store it, the food will stay fresh for much longer inside a tightly sealed container.
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Photograph: Tim Robberts/Stone RFJones said the majority of pet owners make really good tenants, and owning pets makes people happier.
She said people who end up at the SA shelter have been searching for weeks or months for accommodation. “This is their last resort,” she said.
“There is a lot of distress at our surrenders desk. And it’s distressing for the animals because they have loving homes then all of a sudden they go into a shelter environment and they don’t understand what’s happened.”
Jones said RSPCA SA wanted people to be able to approach and negotiate with landlords, any restrictions on pets, waste management, or the introduction of a pet rental bond.INTERESTING FACT ABOUT YOUR PET: Forty-five percent of pet owners say they occasionally (or frequently) buy presents for their animals.
“Whatever it takes to get it over the line,” she said.