For many tenants, a dog or cat is a lifeline. For many landlords, they’re a source of complaints, property concerns and difficult enforcement decisions. And for Dogs Trust, they’re at the centre of a housing‑driven welfare crisis: “One in 10 dogs in Scotland are handed into our care because of issues with housing or homelessness,” Jennifer Leonard, the charity’s pet friendly housing lead told the podcast.

In this episode, hosts Kieran Findlay and Jimmy Black speak to Jennifer and Linley Anderson, director of housing services at Angus Housing Association, about 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.

Dogs Trust’s work in homelessness services has long shown how often people are forced to choose between accommodation and their pets. The pilot extended that work into social housing, where bottlenecks can form when tenants in temporary accommodation cannot move on because pet‑friendly options are limited.

The charity surveyed every Scottish social landlord, developed a scoring matrix, and partnered with mid‑sized, receptive organisations to build a Pet‑Friendly Housing Toolkit — including a model pet policy, staff training and welfare‑focused tenant information packs covering six common species.

Manor Estates became the first accredited pet‑friendly social landlord after fully embedding the toolkit.

Angus Housing Association’s experience features heavily in the episode. The Association previously allowed only one dog or cat per tenancy and required tenants to seek permission, a system that bore little resemblance to reality.

“The amount of permissions we were getting and the amount of pets living in properties weren’t matching up,” Anderson explains. Compassionate exceptions — such as inheriting a family member’s pet — were already common, and enforcement action was based on behaviour, not numbers.

Working with Dogs Trust prompted Angus to remove the permission requirement, overhaul its policy, and introduce QR‑linked welfare packs for all new tenants. Staff have also been trained on domestic abuse pathways involving pets.

Anderson says the shift has been clarifying rather than permissive: “The packs make it clear that tenants have a responsibility for looking after their pet — something we never really had in writing before.”

The new Housing (Scotland) Act will require landlords to consider pet requests and respond within 30 days. While it stops short of giving tenants an automatic right to a pet, it does prevent refusals based on generalised concerns or personal preference.

Guidance on what constitutes a “reasonable” refusal is still to come, but Dogs Trust expects Scotland to follow the case‑by‑case approach used in England.

For social landlords, the toolkit offers a ready‑made framework to get ahead of the changes.

The episode also touches on sheltered housing, where long‑standing bans remain common. Dogs Trust has been working with Bield Housing and Care to demonstrate that pet‑friendly practice is both possible and beneficial.

Leonard notes the well‑established mental and physical health benefits for older people and argues that “there doesn’t need to be a barrier to pet ownership within the sheltered housing sphere.”

Both guests stress that pet‑friendly does not mean hands‑off. Welfare breaches, breeding, dangerous behaviour and persistent fouling still trigger action, including court proceedings where necessary.

But Anderson is clear that pets are not the root of all tenancy issues: “We get back properties that aren’t in a good condition where pets aren’t there either… so we can’t necessarily say pets are causing a lot of the damage.”

The Scottish Housing News Podcast is available on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

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