William Cleaver and Anne Marie Cleaver hang out with their four dogs. From left, Ruby, Mira, Poppit and Bubbles.

A Nelson couple with four dogs are feeling "depressed, hurt and hopeless" after more than two dozen landlords have rejected their tenancy applications.

Now they are calling on local landlords to establish a database of pet-friendly properties to aid dog-owners in their search for rental accommodation.

Anne Marie and William Cleaver will have to leave their current home on Motueka Street at the end of the month, but cannot find a landlord willing to accept their three chihuahuas and nine-year-old stafford.

ALDEN WILLIAMS/FAIRFAX NZ William Cleaver and Anne Marie Cleaver with their dogs. From left, Ruby, Mira, Bubbles and Poppit.

They said the search for a three bedroom house has been exhausting.

"[One landlord] wanted a family just like us and everything looked all rosy. Then they came back later in the night and said 'no, we don't want dogs'," William Cleaver said.

"We work on the principle that if we look enough we will find one, but we're working with a limited budget."

Their sole requirement was that the new house be near William's 78-year-old mother, who the couple care for.

"We have seen some places that are absolutely shocking but I think 'I can work with this'," Anne Marie Cleaver said.

The Cleavers are both employed – he is a salesman and she works in retail – and said their registered, vaccinated and microchipped dogs have never caused damage to any rental.

But Anne Marie said they "can't get past that point of 'no'".

She recently aired her grievances on Facebook, where other Nelsonians expressed similar difficulties.

Dog owner Kleah Boyd said she was "made to feel like a leper" when searching for accommodation.

Angela McGuire agreed that house-hunting as a dog owner was "soul destroying".

"I can't find a rental that will even consider my well behaved bichon. My partner and I are both full time professionals and quiet, clean, ideal tenants. It's just so wrong."

Representatives from six Nelson property companies agreed that finding rental accommodation with dogs was harder than without, but said the final decision always lies with the landlord.

Owner of Champion Property Management Godfrey Watson said the company turned down good tenants for having dogs approximately three times each month.

General manager of Nelson Property Management Stewart Henry said that some tenants ruin it for everyone else.

"If you have a bad dog in a place you have to pull up all the carpet and the underlay."

But the Cleavers said they, and most dog owners, are responsible.

"We don't smoke. We don't drink. We don't party. We don't even watch television," Anne Marie said.

"It's discrimination. We just want to be given a chance."

SPCA Nelson's centre manager Donna Walzl estimated that up to half of pet surrenders occurred when owners had to move house.

Another SPCA worker, who did not wish be named, said many people got into rentals without checking that dogs were allowed.

She said boarding kennels or Trade-me listings were an alternative option for those needing to surrender their dogs, but that "most of them have tried that and [the SPCA] is their last resort".

As the end date of their lease approaches, the Cleavers are determined not to give up their pets.

"People say 'chin up, you'll be alright' but we've been through it so many times now and it's hard," Anne Marie said.

William implored landlords to understand that his pets were less troublesome than children.

"To say that a chihuahua is my baby, my mates would give me a hard time about it, but they are family."