Dog owners ‘forced to abandon pets’
Scores of people were forced to give up their dogs last year because their landlords banned pets, an animal charity has claimed.
The number of people handing in pets to the Dogs Trust as a result of housing problems has risen by 56 per cent in the past five years and last year 276 people handed their dogs to 17 rehoming centres. The charity warned that as high property prices force more people into rented accommodation, many pet owners will be forced to abandon their animals or even have them put down.
One in three people surveyed could not find a suitable property to live in with their pet and the research found pet owners who were successful in finding a tenancy tended to take longer to find a home.
The survey found that 59 per cent of pet owners would be willing to pay a higher deposit to rent with their pets.
The Dogs Trust surveyed 5,695 pet owners in the UK.