Keeping Pets With Their Families

Two-thirds of American households include at least one cat or dog, which makes having a pet-inclusive place to call home essential for most Americans.

But animal shelter admissions data shows that housing-related issues are the second most common reason that families surrender their pets to shelters, even ahead of financial reasons. There isn't enough pet-inclusive housing for renters, and insurance companies often have breed-discriminatory policies that hurt renters and homeowners alike.

These restrictions come in many forms. For example, while 77% of pet-friendly rentals allow dogs, half of them have weight-limits. A restriction that may be unnecessary given that almost half of rentals are single-family homes. For homeowners, their insurance company may drop them if they have a certain breed of dog or charge much higher premiums

Affordable housing needs to be accessible housing for all types of people, including people with pets. Join us in our effort to keep pets and their families stay together by supporting a local petition or starting one for your community.