Having to rehome a pet due to a move does not make you a bad person.
It does not mean you don’t care. It does not mean you didn’t try hard enough. It is not a personal failing.
I’m tired of people making the most unchartiable possible assumptions of others. I’m tired of people passing judgement on others without knowing anything about their circumstances.
And no, you’re not entitled to their life story.
People will say that they’d sooner live in their car than rehome their pet. I admit that I’ve thought the same… but at what point does it become our interest and not the interest of our pet?
My cat is a very social, very high activity cat. My car is a sedan on it’s last legs. He would be miserable. The idea of not having him is so scary to me… but I know he would be happier in a home.
Not to mention trying to keep him in the car and considerations regarding hot and cold weather since I live in a climate with defined summer and winters and obviously couldn’t leave the car running for the AC/heat.
Of course there’s also people who just… don’t have a car.
And if you do live in your car with your pet, or if you’re homless with your pet - which no judgment from me, I respect if you feel that’s a viable option for your circumstances - people will lambast you for that as well.
You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. There’s no pleasing these type of people.
During these discussions I’ve also seen people recommend the pet be “registered as an ESA” to secure a place in otherwise no pet housing. This is based in a misunderstanding of what an ESA is and how they work.
An Emotional Support Animal (ESA) is not the same as a service animal and is not protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act. An ESA is protected as a reasonable accomodation under the Fair Housing Act (FHA), which is a federal law intended to protect against housing discrimination.
There is no registry for ESA’s. There is no certificate for ESA’s. The multitude of online services which promise to make your pet an ESA for a fee are scams that offer no actual legal protection.
The required documentation, if requested, is proof of disability - the landlord may not inquire about the specific diagnosis, only that a disability of some kind is present - and that the ESA provides disability related assistance.
In the context of an ESA this often means the individual benefits from their presence, given that ESA’s do not need to be task trained and do not have public access rights. A letter from your psychologist or other mental health professional attesting to the ESA’s therapeutic benefits is all that’s required.
The FHA does not apply to all residences. An individual with an ESA could be denied housing in the following circumstances.
- Rental dwellings of 4 units or less in which the landlord occupies one of the units.
- Single family homes rented by the owner without a broker.
- Housing owned by private clubs or religious organizations which restrict housing to their members.
And this isn’t taking into acocunt housing situations without a tenant-landlord relationship, such as moving in with a relative or sleeping on a friends couch.
So going the ESA route is not a viable option for every circumstance. Not only can husing can still be denied in certain situations but other potential barries are present based on if the individual has access to a mental health professional or can afford to pursue legal action against a landlord if illegaly discriminated against.
I’ve seen people say not to move until you can find somewhere that will accept your pet(s)… and it baffles me. Do they think this major life change is something people take lightly, that they do it for fun?
If you’re being evicted the bank or landlord isn’t going to care if you have a pet to consider, they want you gone.
If you need to move into assisted living or in with a friend or relative because of your health you can’t just choose to be well until you find somewhere that will accept your pet.
The reverse is also true, if you need to move in with a friend or relative to take care of them during or after a health crisis.
Someone may need to move for work and may not be in a position financially to decline the job or promotion.
Someone may need to move because legislation has made their country, state or other locale unsafe for them.
Someone may need to move in order to escape a situation of abuse.
And yes, of course there are people in all of these situations which have made it work and kept their pets with them - and that’s amazing, but Person A being able to doesn’t mean Person B will be able to.
People have different resources, different thresholds, different circumstances. It doesn’t mean they’re bad people, it doesn’t they’re just not trying hard enough.
And no, you’re not entitled to the details of a strangers life so you can cast judgement.
Chances are they’re already having a hard enough time with this decision, they don’t need someone interrogating them. If you can’t help then keep your mouth shut and move along.
