Launched in 2023, and funded thanks to Postcode Lottery players, the project has worked with social landlords across Scotland to improve housing access for pet owners and promote the wider benefits of pet-friendly policies for communities. The scheme aimed not only to support tenants with pets, but also to encourage more inclusive, sustainable tenancies across the sector.

Last year, Dogs Trust received more than 40,000 enquiries from people considering giving up their dog, and around 15% citing housing issues, such as a change in circumstances or difficulty finding pet-friendly accommodation, as a key reason. The charity hopes that, by supporting landlords to become pet-friendly, the number of owners needing to rehome their dogs due to housing issues will be reduced significantly. 

The project saw Dogs Trust work closely with social housing providers to review and improve policies and procedures, making them more pet-inclusive. Staff across participating housing associations also received specialist training, and a comprehensive Pet Friendly Housing Toolkit was developed to support landlords in adopting best practice.

As a result, 22,407 properties across ten social landlords in Scotland have now been formally accredited as pet-friendly. A further 20,604 homes are in the process of accreditation, bringing the total to 43,011 properties. This represents approximately 6.79% of Scotland’s total social housing stock, spanning 27 of the country’s 32 local authority areas.

Edinburgh-based Manor Estates was the first housing association to achieve accreditation under the scheme and has reported strong positive feedback. All staff surveyed agreed that the organisation supports tenants with pets, while 72% of tenants said the same. Three-quarters of staff also felt there is a clear process for handling pet-related issues, and a quarter of tenants said the association has become more pet-friendly over the past year.

Jennifer Leonard from Dogs Trust’s Pet Friendly Housing Team said: “Over recent years, we have seen a growing number of owners contacting us about giving up their dog, with changes in living circumstances and a lack of pet friendly housing among the most common reasons.

“For many people, a pet is a member of the family, so being forced to give them up can be heartbreaking. With support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery, we’re proud to have helped housing providers across Scotland develop the confidence and tools to welcome pets responsibly.

“The impact of this work will continue beyond the project. The toolkit we’ve created can now be used by social landlords across the country, helping to create more pet-friendly homes and keep more dogs with the families who love them.”

The final project report and report summary are available here.

Landlords in the social or private housing sector interested in becoming accredited as pet friendly can email petfriendlyhousing@dogstrust.org.uk.

Jennifer Leonard from Dogs Trust joined Angus Housing Association’s Linlay Anderson on the Scottish Housing News Podcast to highlight the charity’s three‑year Pet‑Friendly Housing Pilot, the new Housing (Scotland) Act, and what responsible pet‑friendly practice actually looks like on the ground. Find out more here.