So I’ve been thinking a lot about my article, and I hadn’t felt particularly excited about any of my ideas until now. I’ve noticed an increasing trend on the Auckland SPCA Facebook page, they seem to have more cats and dogs up for adoption than usual, and many of the stories which accompany them have a theme. “Diddy’s owner had to relocate and was unable to take Diddy with her.” “Archie was abandoned by his previous owners.” “Dolce was surrendered to the SPCA because his owner could no longer take care of him.” 

This got me thinking… Pets are for life right? So why are so many pet owners giving up their fur babies? 

My boyfriend has been looking for a flat to rent for almost a year, but has been so far unsuccessful. His main issue is that every time he finds a place in the right location, for the right price he reads the fine print and sees “no smoking, no pets.” As if his fluffy white cat is going to permanently damage the house and leave it in an unfit condition for the renters after him. I think this is an issue in my neighbourhood that has had little attention and I’d like to pursue it further.