I’ve been noticing that many places/people that are advertising rental properties, are constantly saying that they don’t want pets.

I’ve also noticed that (not as many) places also say, “No kids”. I have been on Kijiji (not their fault by any means) and there are lists upon lists of want ads for family and pet friendly rental properties. I find this incredibly disturbing and discriminating.

I would imagine millions of people use the Internet as a means of reaching out for a place to rent. So you can imagine how many more families are in this predicament who are not using the Internet as their means of reaching out. I can understand paying a reasonable one-time pet fee in case the owner is not responsible for their pets, and yes, sometimes the properties can get extremely damaged.

There are, however, responsible pet owners, that have only small animals at that. It’s heartbreaking to see the advertisements from single parents who have children, who have pets, and they are in dire need of a reasonably priced place to rent.

Having a pet when one of the parents is absent (for whatever reason) can be extremely therapeutic, and kids who have disabilities on any level, benefit greatly from having a pet. It can be detrimental to a child’s emotions (especially if the pet has been a lifelong companion) to have to give it away or put it down because all you see is “No pets, no kids, no pets, no kids”. It’s devastating for any family. It contributes to the overflowing ‘unwanted and abandoned’ pet situations.

I had a lady tell me that because I had a dog it immediately, without discussion disqualified me from staying at that park. Not her rules, (she owned the mobile, but…), discouraging and maddening to say the least.

My cat is an indoor cat, fixed, and we’ve had her for 10 years, before my boys were around. She jumps into bed with my autistic son and when he falls asleep, sometimes she will stay with him all night and other times she comes out to sit with me. We’ve had a tiny miniature dachshund for two years, fixed, who also stays inside and comes for drives with us unless we are going somewhere where she cannot come. She stays in a kennel if we have to go out of town.

I know people who are not pet owners and they have no kids and their houses are extremely dirty and smelly – nothing but bacteria-ridden filth. They do nothing to keep their units clean, and they have actually caused more damage than pets!

I find that landlords in general get away with a lot of things. The place where we are now is becoming questionable and we have no 24-hour contact if something happens. The prices you pay to rent are getting ridiculous. Who can afford to pay $1,700 (or more) a month, plus utilities? Mortgages are cheaper, but who has enough money after paying for bills and rent nowadays to save for a down-payment?

Monica Weiss

Red Deer