‘Owners can’t be asked to abandon pets by landlords’

Mridula Gopalakrishnan, a Karaoke Jockey in the city, said she was turned down by many landlords, after they discovered that she had two dogs. “I saw this place and liked it. But while talking to the house owner, it became clear they were not okay with pets. Even if a house owner has no problem with pets, they are afraid to antagonise the other neighbours, who don’t like animals. I have two dogs – a mongrel and a Rottweiler. I moved into my own place now and the residents’ association  had a problem with my pets. But it is my private property,” she said. Mridula said she still has to deal with neighbours unhappy about her dogs. “Pets are dependent on us. More people should stand up and fight for their rights,” she strongly added. 

The opposition to pets has forced many owners to conceal this detail while renting a house. Heena R, a content writer, told two landlords she had a cat as a pet. “They said they didn’t encourage pets and I ended up not getting either of the houses. It was frustrating. The third time, I didn’t even bother mentioning that I had a pet. My cat Sherlock is still with me and nobody has a clue,” she laughed. 

Sumita Pai, a pet owner who also fosters abandoned animals, said the problem persisted even after moving into her private place. “The neighbours around me have a problem with 

the animals. I have been facing this consistently. It is the resident associations that create such clauses, putting pet owners in a quandary,” she said. 

Antony Rubin, Co-opted Member of Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) said the best approach is to have a friendly dialogue with the prospective house owner. “There have been many pet owners who have faced this issue. The AWBI has issued a circular saying that house owners cannot prevent anyone from having a pet in their homes. But the pet owner should also take responsibility of their pets and ensure that they don’t create a nuisance or dirty the common areas used by other residents,” added this activist. 

Sanjay Pinto, lawyer, author and columnist, said it is illegal to deny some body the freedom to own a pet, even if it is in an apartment. “There is no law that bans domestic pets. Resident associations have no right to legislate. Only local authorities can deal with licencing and registration of pets. Preventing residents from keeping pets may amount to coercing them to abandon them, which is an offence under Section 11(1)(i) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. Much like human beings, animals too have their fundamental freedoms – like freedom from hunger, thirst, discomfort, pain and injury, as per the World Organisation for Animal Health, to which India is a signatory. In addition, Article 51-A(g) of the Constitution says that it is one of our fundamental duties to be compassionate to all creatures,” he concluded.