The housing crisis in Australia is having unintended consequences. Adoption centres around the country have been inundated with surrendered pets as owners are unable to find affordable rental homes that will accommodate them.
One animal shelter that has seen this issue explode first hand is the Dog’s Refuge Home in western Perth. Located in Shenton Park, the shelter typically receives about three surrendered dogs a day. However, in recent times, that number has increased by 50% to almost 30 a week.

Animal shelters have been inundated with surrendered dogs as their owners are unable to find a property that will allow them.
In these times, finding affordable rental accommodation is already difficult. Finding affordable rental accommodation that will tolerate pets is even harder.
And it’s leaving dog owners with a difficult choice. They can either choose to surrender their pets in order to agree with the rental requirements, or risk going homeless.
Surrender Dogs On The Rise
It’s challenging for animal shelters like Refuge as they only have a certain number of kennels. And if the dogs currently in the shelter aren’t being adopted, then the shelters will have to turn dogs away.
Some kennels have nearly a week’s wait on surrenders. While the staff are doing their best to make room to take dogs in, they’re still always full.

Homeowners are having a difficult time finding a home that will accommodate pets.
Some dog owners have no choice but to rehome their dogs or risk not finding a place to live. One of the most recent arrivals at the Refuge was a two year old Bella. She was surrendered by her owners as they were going to be evicted if she was not given up.
It’s a heartbreaking scenario. Most of the surrendered dogs already had loving homes, yet they are still going to be rehomed nevertheless. It can take quite an emotional toll for the owners and the dog particularly, who have no idea why their loving parents are giving them up.
Calls for Change To Rental Laws
The rise in this issue has led to calls for Western Australia to change its rental laws to make it easier for renters to own pets.
In the state, tenants who want to own a pet must first seek permission from the landlord. However, the landlord is currently allowed to refuse the request without providing any reason.
Dog loving renters simply want to change it to the model currently in place in Victoria and ACT. In these states, landowners are allowed to refuse pets, but they are required to have a discussion with the tenant before saying no.
After all, people should not have to be faced with the dilemma of choosing a roof over their heads or keeping their family pet.
What do you think? Do you think that renters should be allowed to have pets? Let us know in the comments below!