Renters in Treasure Valley are surrendering their animals at shelters. Here’s why.
It’s 5:30 a.m. Barbara Anderson quietly drinks coffee at her kitchen table, waiting for someone to arrive to take her best friend of 11 years.
She adopted Bella, her 11-year-old golden retriever, when she was only 10 weeks old. Ever since, Bella has rarely left Anderson’s side, whether chasing tennis balls or playing with one of Anderson’s 13 grandchildren.
“She just loved the kids,” Anderson said. “She’s very important to me.”
However, Anderson had to move to Boise for a new job at Amazon while she attends Boise State University to finish her bachelor’s degree, a job that pays less than her previous position as an administrator at an assisted living center.
Now, the 58-year-old realized that finding an affordable place for herself and keeping her beloved friend may not be compatible.
After a long search, Anderson found a studio apartment in the North End for $1,100 a month, but it didn’t allow pets. Now, she has started the difficult process of re-homing Bella, a hard decision that Anderson said was necessary for Bella’s happiness.
“My other option is to live in my car with her, but I don’t think that is fair to her or myself,” she said.
She’s not alone. With rent prices in the Treasure Valley soaring over the past year, many renters who own pets are giving up their animals, unable to find an affordable place that accommodates their pets.
Kristine Schellhaas, spokesperson for Idaho Humane Society, said the majority of surrenders at the shelter are due to housing situations, instead of behavioral issues or the owner not wanting the pet anymore.
“I think this really is a wide swath of people that it’s affected,” Schellhaas said. “A lot of locals have been affected by this by people coming (into Idaho) with a lot of money.”
No pets allowed
While finding a rental in Boise is challenging, finding one as a pet owner can feel nearly impossible. Many of the few vacant units don’t allow pets; those that do can charge monthly pet rent in the range of $100-300 per month, along with other fees. Many landlords also forbid certain breeds, such as pit bulls and German shepherds, Schellhaas said.
The number of pet adoptions across the county soared at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with Shelter Animal Counts reporting a 34% increase in adoptions in April 2020. As restrictions have eased, many news outlets have reported large numbers of dogs being surrendered to shelters.
Schellhaas said that in the Treasure Valley, it’s not that people don’t want their pets anymore — their living situations have forced their hands.
Zoe Ann Olson, executive director of the Intermountain Fair Housing Council, said her organization has received calls from tenants around the area unable to find a place for both them and their pets.
“People just are having a very hard time finding affordable places to live,” Olson said. “That’s compounded with trying to find a place that will accept an animal.”
She said her organization, which works with people experiencing housing discrimination, attempts to negotiate resolutions that would allow people to keep their pets in their apartments.
For Anderson, keeping Bella in her home isn’t in the cards at the moment. A local golden retriever breeder found her a potential adoptive family. While she’s optimistic about Bella’s future, the pain is still fresh.
“It’s hard not to be attached when you wake up every day with her,” Anderson said. “I didn’t realize I was this attached until I actually had to follow through with this.”
Pet owners facing financial difficulty can call the Idaho Humane Society at 208-342-3508.
This story was originally published July 14, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
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