Earlier this month, the Otago Daily Times reported 81-year-old Shirley Birt moved into an Invercargill City Council flat but had to separate from her beloved emotional support dog Daisy.
Invercargill City councillors have been moved by her pleas and decided they wanted to change the policy, which states tenants may keep a cat, bird or fish but excludes tenants from having a dog.
During a council meeting yesterday councillors unanimously approved a recommendation to allow tenants to move into council flats with a small or medium-sized dog on the condition they followed a set of criteria.
It included a limit of one pet per unit, that the dog was an existing family pet and had been with the family for a period of at least three years, and that the dog was registered throughout the tenancy and had been desexed and microchipped.
They would also need to follow the rules for other pets such as a pet bond and a written consent from their landlord acknowledging the animal.
Once approval had been given, the applicant also must comply with further terms and conditions, which included three-monthly inspections; that all dog poo was collected immediately and disposed of in an appropriate way; that the dog was restrained on a leash at all times when not contained within the housing unit; and that the tenant was responsible for any damage caused by the dog to the landlord’s property.
There was also a clause which stated if the landlord received a justified nuisance complaint such as the dog being off leash (roaming) within the complex, barking, odour or the tenant not picking up the dog’s faeces, then the tenant would need to rehome the dog within a four-week period.
Owners would need to apply for permission, and each application would be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
However, this part was amendment after deputy mayor Tom Campbell said the one-strike rule would be unfair and it should be at least more than one occasion for this to happen.
The other councillors agreed.
Cr Ian Pottinger also argued about the clause which stated if a dog died, it could not be replaced.
"If they do have a pre-existing dog and they are going there and the dog dies after one year and-half, then they should be allowed another dog because this is a companion dog.
"It is not a one-off thing and I really feel for these people ... so I would like to see those things altered."
However, the council decided to keep the rules as they were proposed originally and will conduct a review after a trial period of one year.
Speaking to the Otago Daily Times yesterday, Furever Homes advocate Penny Ivey was pleased with the outcome.
"It is great to see that this case made this change. It was what Shirley wanted and we are very happy.
"I’m pleased they listened to us so it is a good day for elderly tenants and their beloved pets."
