It’s a decision no family should have to make – a home or a pet – but it’s one many are facing amid the rental crisis.
Dogs, cats and other furry friends are being abandoned to appease landlords and animal rescue organisations at capacity, say something’s got to give.
Sayem got his Siberian husky Julius six years ago and says it was life-changing.
“There’s this unconditional love between the pet and the owner, it’s just amazing,” he said.
So you could imagine his heartbreak when Sydney’s rental crisis forced him out of a townhouse and into a small two-bedroom unit.
“It was very hard, every day it was heartbreaking,” he said.
“I was given four weeks of notice and in that four weeks of notice, I had to move into an apartment straight away.”
Sayem claims 99 per cent of landlords he contacted would not allow him to rent with Julius, who is now living with a pet sitter until Sayem can secure a home suitable for him.
“I’m working on it but you know, it’s not that easy to get a house right away with the kind of situation we are right now.”
