Prohibit discrimination against people with pets by landlords in Alberta

In Ontario, there is currently a law prohibiting landlords from discriminating against people with pets. In Alberta, that is not the case. If you search on kijiji.com you'll find pages of ads from people in desperate need of a home that allows pets, or you'll find animals being given away or sold because people cant find a home that will allow their pet.

Thousands of perfectly healthy and loving pets end up in animal shelters or rescues or abandoned because their owners just cant take them with them. Sadly, older dogs are not exempt to this and often go into a shelter and never come back out. Perfectly good homes with huge backyards that would be a pet owners dream come true, are listed as "no-pets" or "small pets only". A person with a quiet well behaved great dane is not accepted for the home but another person with a destructive and excessive barking chihuahua gets the home.

The humane society takes in over 13,000 animals each year and that's just the humane society. Children are often far more destructive than a pet, yet most homes are "family friendly". Pet owners consider their animals a part of their family as much as their children. If they move, they expect to bring their pet along.

Thousands of other animals end up in various rescue societies or are passed through several homes or put down. Not every animal is destructive and there should be a law against landlords denying a person to rent from them due to owning a dog or a cat. You can hold an irresponsible owner accountable for damages done to your property but you shouldn't deny everyone with a pet the opportunity to prove that they are a responsible owner and tenant.