Kate Witzke the Shelter Behavior and Training manager works with Lola, a one-year-old female dog in the play yard of the East Bay SPCA on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Oakland, Calif. Lola was surrendered to the shelter when the dog’s owner moved. In California’s tight rental market, apartment hunting is a daunting task. For pet owners, the options are even fewer.
“It’s been impossible to find something,” she said, holding a shaking Poppy — who becomes nervous around strangers — in her arms. Krista Gulbransen, executive director of the Berkeley Property Owners Association, said the ability to ban pets, or certain types of breeds, helps landlords to mitigate their risk — whether that’s damage to the unit or potential issues with neighbors.
Jules, a four-year-old cat, plays in a tunnel at his home in South San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. Roger Yang, left, and Tran Nguyen, right, hold their cats, Jules, 4, and Bisou, 4, at their home in South San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. “There was a big fine if we did violate our lease, so we didn’t want to deal with that,” Nguyen said. They ended up finding an apartment building in San Mateo that allowed cats but charged an additional $60 per month in pet rent.