Pet abandonment: Rental housing owners are not to be blamed

In a recent article (1), there was a significant increase mentioned in adoptions in 2022, compared to 2021, but also a sharp increase in animal abandonment:
“At the Québec City SPA, entries to shelters have increased by 15% compared to the average, while there is a 9% increase compared to last year in Metropolitan Montreal.”

However, this article rather tackles the behaviour of animal adopters as the main cause of the problem: many adoptions occurred during the pandemic but now that teleworking is reduced, with rising food and care costs in this period of inflation, ...
But there is no mention in the article of rental housings that do not accept animals.

Rental property owners are often singled out and blamed for pet abandonments. But before pointing to the owners, it is important to raise awareness of the behaviour of pet owners too.

Many new pet adopters are not aware of all that involves having an animal, as much in efforts such as trips to the park/streets or even the price related to litter, medical care, ...

“Experts had warned the population when everyone rushed to adopt an animal during the first year of the pandemic,” says Sophie Gaillard, Interim Executive Director of the Montreal SPCA. “We can see this situation across the country. We expect it to increase again in the coming years, now that 52% of Québeckers own a dog or a cat,” she says. Madame Gaillard believes that the phenomenon will intensify in the coming years, especially with the increase in the cost of living.

The Association des Propriétaires du Québec (APQ) believes that it is important for tenants and owners alike to know the commitment necessary to keep an animal.

Also, the behaviour of pet owners is one of the worries that incites rental housing owners to ban animals: an animal that is bored and cries incessantly, disturbing neighbours and barking, a cat that scratches the floors, or that defecates on the carpet for lack of litter,...

The Association des Propriétaires du Québec has long called for the establishment of a security deposit because this amount would raise awareness among tenants and would restore part of the damage suffered if need be.

If you too have experienced “horror” stories with one of your rental housings and you want to share your story in our monthly newsletter, please contact our communications department.