Dogs Trust has revealed that 75 people emailed them in 2018 looking to give up their dog due to problems with moving house.
The charity is highlighting the impact the housing crisis is having on pet owners and is calling on more rental properties to be dog-friendly.
They are asking all estate agents and online rental sites who currently are, or are considering, listing dog-friendly properties, to make this option clear on their platforms for both renters and landlords.
Recent research carried out by Behaviours and Attitudes for Dogs Trust revealed that 57% of private landlords weren’t aware if the mediums they use offer the option of advertising a property as pet-friendly.
Owen Reilly is an estate agent encouraging landlords to consider tenants with pets.
He said: "We encourage our landlord clients to consider tenants with pets and in particular dogs.
"From my experience, dog owners tend to be more responsible tenants because dog owners are more responsible by nature! They are so grateful to find a landlord who will consider them with their dog and they then tend to take very good care of the property."
He added: "We have never had a property damaged by a tenant with a dog but simple measures such as taking a small pet deposit and doing regular checks on the property can help put a landlord’s mind at ease.
"We recently made a built to rent block pet-friendly and the demand doubled once this fact was advertised”
A survey with landlords commissioned by Dogs Trust revealed that 48% found damage caused by tenants to be the main problem, but only 11% listed damage from a pet as a problem.
Dogs Trust believes that if more properties were dog-friendly, it would help ease the pressure on local authority pounds and rescue centres nationwide as the number of dogs being surrendered would lower and the number of people in a position to adopt would increase.
Sarah Lynch, Campaigns Manager, Dogs Trust said: “We strongly believe that if more Dog-Friendly accommodation was available, more people would be in a situation where they could welcome a dog into their family, and those who already own a dog would not have to give up their dog.
"Although 42% of landlords have admitted to purposefully not allowing a tenant to rent with a pet, 75% say that they could be convinced.
"With an overwhelming majority open to the idea, we are hopeful that our guidelines will help both landlords and tenants open up the conversation about allowing pets.”
