Second Chance: Rentals for Families With Pets

18 Nov Second Chance: Rentals for Families With Pets

Dear Pet Column,

I would love to get a dog but I am having a very hard time finding a rental that will accept dogs. Please help.

Sincerely, Homeless Hound Lover

LILLY

Dear Hound Lover,

You are not alone. With pets living in 72% of American households that rent their homes, finding a home that will allow for pets is somewhat of a universal challenge. As a result, that has become the leading reason pets become homeless (when families have to relinquish them to prevent becoming homeless themselves) and even lose their lives (when relinquished into facilities with limited space).

The good news is Second Chance Humane Society and other animal welfare organizations are working to change that.

To reduce housing-related relinquishments and increase adoptions, The Humane Society of the United States initiated a campaign called Pets Are Welcome. The campaign is designed to keep more pets out of shelters and in homes, offering valuable resources for all stakeholders: rental housing providers, renters with pets, and animal welfare advocates and organizations.

Pets Are Welcome is designed to enable people to create humane housing communities that promote sound, smart humane policies that keep families together, while also protecting the interests of property owners.

The foundation of Pets Are Welcome is based on sound principals such as:

• Research shows that most pets do not cause any more damage to rental units than the average renter.
• Policies that prohibit or limit pet ownership based on breed, weight or other random factors are based on myths that hurt families, don’t improve resident safety or improve the property’s value.
• Most pet owners are good residents, regardless of the breed, size or number of pets they have, while also protecting property owners’ interest in maintaining the value and safety of their housing.

So stay tuned. Upcoming Second Chance Pet Columns will provide resources for both property owners and pet-owning renters to help our communities become more pet-friendly and pet-parenting responsible.

SEQUIOA

My name is Sequoia and I am a nine- week-young brown Tabby born here at Second Chance, so I am very much looking forward to a new home and family. Spending the first nine weeks of my life at a shelter, I am naturally well socialized with dogs and cats, but other parts of family living will be a great adventure for me. A home for the Holidays perhaps???

The Second Chance Dog of the Week is Lilly.  Lilly is a Terrier Dingo mix (Terrio), just over one-year-old, who has had a rough go of it. Lilly arrived as an undernourished and unloved little girl, but has blossomed into a healthy and happy dog. Unfortunately her first adoption didn’t stick, but she is ready to give it a go again.

Editor’s note: It’s no secret. The Telluride region is dog heaven. Well, pet heaven. Unless you are one of our furry friends who gets caught in the maw of neglect and abuse. Then heaven is on hold until Second Chance Humane Society comes to the rescue. Second Chance is the region’s nonprofit dedicated to saving animals’ lives and promoting responsible pet parenting and human-animal bond. In her weekly blog, executive director Kelly Goodin profiles at least one, generally two of the many animals now living at the no-kill shelter, Angel Ridge Shelter, a dog and a cat, hoping to find them loving permanent homes. The column is sponsored by Ted Hoff of Cottonwood Ranch & Kennel, who from time to time exercises his skills as a dog whisperer, partnering with Kelly and her staff to help train a particularly challenging animal.

Ted Hoff &  Magnificent Mae

By the by, there is no better place to park your pup than Cottonwood whenever you head out of town (for locals) or are heading to town and staying somewhere that does not allow pets. Consider joining Ted’s Very Important Dog (VID) Club for added benies. (Details on Ted’s website.)