Give a dog a bone

For any organisation gnawing on the problem of a balanced approach to pet ownership among its tenants, the RSPCA has published a handy guide. Mark Cantrell reports

Pets are part of the family. They turn a property into a home. But pets can be a serious bone of contention within a community.

It’s sad but true that a pet is but one irresponsible owner away from becoming a pest. The potential for anti-social misery inflicted on the neighbours, not to mention undue suffering for the animal itself, is a real one that needs careful handling.

On the one hand, the rights of pet owners need to be balanced with the potential impact on the rights of the neighbours not to endure nuisance, while at the same time looking out for the wellbeing of the pets. On the other, one needs to address the likely impact of a pet policy – the ‘devil of the detail’ as it were – in terms of its policing and enforcement. Inevitably, there is the question of how far does one go in these measures before it becomes intrusive and over-bearing. These are not, of course, easy questions to answer.

That’s where ‘Housing: a good practice guide’, recently published by the RSPCA, comes in. The charity pulled together examples of good practice by the housing providers that won last year’s Community Animal Welfare Footprint (CAWF) awards scheme.

The RSPCA launched CAWF in 2008 to promote good practice in animal welfare by local authorities and housing providers in England and Wales. It aims to recognise those organisations that have gone above and beyond the basics to ensure higher standards of animal welfare, with winners branded gold, silver or bronze, each one carrying progressively more stringent standards.

The awards cover four areas – or ‘footprints’ that impact on animal welfare: stray dog services; housing; contingency planning; and animal welfare principles. Much of the good practice identified in the course of the awards process has worked its way into the guide, which offers advice on how landlords can incorporate everything from microchipping and neutering to education for tenants into their pet policies.

“Keeping pets in sheltered, social or council accommodation can pose many challenges for landlords,” said the RSPCA in the guide. “Yet research shows that animals that are well-cared for and responsibly kept can be a positive attribute to any community as pet ownership often satisfied the need for companionship, daily routine and exercise. Pets can also develop an individual’s social life because people often talk to others with animals.

“While pets can have a very positive impact on their environment, irresponsibly owned pets can be the cause of much misery and suffering to both the animals themselves and those who live around them. The challenges – ranging from the high-profile intimidation by dogs and animal hoarding to the lower level but equally problematic cat spraying and dog barking – are issues that can be improved by having a clear and well-enforced pets policy.”

There’s no call to be draconian, however tempting a ‘no pets’ policy might at first appear. I n this day and age of tenant involvement, not to mention people being people, such an approach would undoubtedly create more problems than it solves. Indeed, the RSPCA cautions that it “does not want councils and social landlords to discourage pets where facilities exist for their proper care”.

That said, it added that it agreed that controls are necessary to prevent irresponsible pet ownership. With rights come responsibilities, for everyone in the equation. A well formulated policy, the RSPCA argues, can help everyone to know where they stand – and find that necessary balance.

“Clear, positive policies are essential in tackling problems associated with pets in housing,” said Piers Claughton, the RSPCA’s senior local government advisor. “This gives those enforcing conditions confidence and those affected by them clarity. There is no single pets policy that can be applied to all housing providers, therefore the guide aims to highlight some of the key principles that underpin a good policy.”

So what are these key principles for a sound pet policy? First and foremost, is the social landlord positive about pet ownership? Does it make clear what is expected of pet owning tenants? Can it be enforced? Is it enforced and do those who enforce it have sufficient knowledge? And, is information made available on responsible pet ownership? The guide, some of it incorporated as case studies on
the HouseMark website, fleshes out these key principles.

The right approach can help to police the gap between pet and pest – so we can all continue to enjoy the companionship of our non-human chums.

Pet nation
In the UK, about one in two households own a pet, according to estimates by the Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association (PFMA). The organisation estimates that in 2009, the UK population of pets were:
• Eight million cats in over 5.2 million households
• Eight million dogs, in over six million households
• 4.7 million households owning fish (whether in tanks or ponds)
• 12 million ‘non-domestic’ pets