Jodi Dunlop, branch manager of Vancouver’s SPCA, is pictured with Tuffy, a dog up for adoption at their animal centre in Vancouver. Ben Nelms/For The Globe and Mail

It's one of the most horrible routines for the Vancouver branch of the BC Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, one that's devastating for staff who regularly deal with it.



But they know it's worse for people on the other side of the counter, pressed into an emotionally excruciating situation by being a renter with a pet in Vancouver.

NO VACANCY The rapidly rising cost of rental units in Canada’s largest cities, along with vacancy rates near zero, mean it’s increasingly difficult for people who rely on rental units to find – and keep – their housing. Like the real estate market, rental prices have become detached from incomes and are forcing people to live in cramped apartments, find roommates well into adulthood or simply move away. The Globe and Mail is spending the summer examining how those factors have shaped the lives of renters, landlords and their cities.

In a region with an extremely low vacancy rate, pet owners have a strike against them when it comes to finding somewhere to live in an already difficult rental market.



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Sometimes renters strike out. That's when they show up at the Vancouver branch to give up their dog, cat or bird.

Exact reasons vary: They have to move but can't find a place that will allow their new pet; pet-friendly buildings are rare; they are in a dispute with their landlord. Regardless, the pet has to go.

"I have had people that have literally sat in the office and cried for two to three hours. They can't fill out the paperwork because it's breaking their heart," says Jodi Dunlop, office manager at the Vancouver branch of the BC SPCA.

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"If you're a person that has any kind of empathy or anything, it's terrible to watch."

She recalls owners sitting in the cages with their pets, hugging them because it hurts to let go and walk away. "It's so stressful for them and it's stressful for us."

Ms. Dunlop, who has two dogs of her own, sympathizes. She recalls that many years ago, living in Ontario, she had to go live in a park when she faced this challenge due to her ownership of a dog.

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When she moved to Vancouver, she figures she contacted 76 rentals and only found three willing to take her two dogs, which altogether weigh 17 pounds. She did find housing, and now brings her dachshund and chihuahua to work – a "great perk" of working at the SPCA.

‘No pets allowed’ Provincial tenancy laws determine the ability of landlords to restrict pets. B.C. Landlords are free to prohibit pets in rental units, or, if pets are allowed, set restrictions on the number, type and size of animals. Landlords can also charge an extra pet damage deposit of up to a half month's rent, which must be returned at the end of the tenancy unless it is needed to cover pet-related damage. If a tenant sneaks in a pet anyway, the landlord can demand that the pet be removed or pursue eviction. Ontario Landlords can refuse to rent to a person who owns a pet, but rental agreements cannot specifically exclude pets. What that means in practice is that once a tenancy agreement is underway, there is nothing a landlord can do if the tenant brings in a pet, unless the pet is causing problems such as excessive noise or damage. The one exception is if the unit is in a condo building with rules against pets. Alberta Like in B.C., landlords can set the rules about whether pets are permitted in a rental unit. Landlords can collect additional, refundable damage deposit, provided that the total amount for all damage deposits does not exceed one month's rent. SOURCES: B.C. Residential Tenancy Branch; Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board; Service Alberta

According to the SPCA, people are compelled to give up their pets for varied reasons, including the behaviour of the animal, life changes such as divorce and medical issues. However, the organization has taken particular note of the dynamic around renters and pets.

The SPCA notes that about 20 per cent of cases where pets are given up in British Columbia involve rental issues. That represents about 1,500 pets across the province, according to Amy Morris, policy and outreach officer for the BC SPCA. "It really stands out," she says. "There's a lack of rental-housing stock available and, of the available rental-housing stock, very little of it allows pets."

Ms. Morris says the figure is about 45 per cent in Vancouver – a surge she links to a lack of rental stock, and limited properties that allow pets. Pets surrendered to the SPCA tend to find new owners.

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The status quo in British Columbia, under the Residential Tenancy Act, says landlords can require a pet-damage deposit of up to a half-month's rent at the start of a tenancy or once the tenant requires a pet. Tenants without pets who then acquire them can face eviction. Many rentals bar pets in ads for properties.

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In rare cases, former owners, reeling from giving up their pets, settle their housing issues and return to reclaim their pets before they go to new homes. Usually, however, the pets are gone for adoption, never to return. Sometimes the new owners will send the old owners a photo.

"It is absolutely an issue on our radar because we are contacted about it on a nearly daily basis," says Ms. Morris. "It's usually people who have a pet and are having difficulty finding a home. They may be relocating from somewhere else, coming into Vancouver. Or someone who is interested in getting a pet, but they don't feel they can because they can't find a pet-friendly home."

Janet Zarowny recently faced a choice over keeping her apartment or her pets. After 23 years in her apartment near Vancouver General Hospital, the 60-year-old found herself on the front lines of the conflict over pets and renters when her landlord suddenly took issue with her two Shih-Tzus and her cockatiel and suggested she did not have proper permission to have them. As a result, they had to go.

The conflict plunged Ms. Zarowny, who has chronic illnesses and lives on disability, into a nightmare. She did not believe she could find new housing to replace her $1,240-per-month two-bedroom apartment.

However, Ms. Zarowny, who lives alone, could not live without her pets.

"We deserve the right to have our pets and they should not be pulled from us. They provide us comfort. They're family. When I was sick, at my worst, I was housebound and all I had was those animals. They're there through thick and thin," she said in an interview. "They love me unconditionally. They don't care if I am sick. They give me a sense of purpose."

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Eventually, the operators of her building backed down – with a caveat. Ms. Zarowny will not be able to replace her pets once they die. She hopes to move before anything happens to her animals. "I feel a pressure here," she said.

There have been some advances for renting pet owners. The new Plaza 500 rental development at 12th and Cambie in Vancouver will allow pets on alternating floors in the 17-storey complex when it opens in October. Judith Harris, general manager of FirstService Residential which is managing the property, says the approach came about because of a view that there could be a market for a pet-friendly rental building. "I have tried to be a renter with pets and it's really hard," she said. Her own solution? She bought a house.

The B.C. SPCA animal centre in Vancouver. Ben Nelms/For The Globe and Mail

The SPCA, says Ms. Morris, sympathizes with pet owners, but also with landlords. It supports the eviction of irresponsible pet owners and is supportive of guidelines, including flea control, regular grooming, leashing pets in common areas and other measures.

David Hutniak, the CEO of LandlordBC, an industry association, says landlord property rights need to be respected on the question of taking pets. That means landlords have the last word on whether a building should be pet-friendly as they struggle to make their properties work as business ventures.

Mr. Hutniak concedes there could be more pet-friendly rental housing, but adds that there's a more pressing need for rental housing for people in general.

He says landlords often pay a price for allowing pets. It's a cost based on urine in hallways and on carpeted areas in suites, as well as other damage that has to be repaired when an apartment changes hands. Cats and other pets can cause allergy issues among tenants who do not have pets.

Mr. Hutniak, a homeowner who has an 11-year-old miniature dachshund, admits to being personally skeptical about having pets in rental units. "It bothers me to see these really large animals in these small apartments or locked up all day. Is that responsible pet ownership?"