Photo © 2004 AP Photo/Times Leader, Michael Harvilla

A vet in Brisbane is pushing for more pet friendly rentals and landlords due to the large number of pets being euthanised by their owners driven to desperation.

In the current housing market more people are looking to rentals yet more landlords are looking for the ideal tenant, and people with pets do not fall under that category.

Michael O’Donoghue, the vet behind the cause, wishes for more rental properties to be available to pets to encourage families to adopt and to stop the displacement of loved family members.

"It's very heart-breaking, people euthanising their beloved pet because they can't find accommodation," he said in an interview to the Brisbane Times.

The campaign has won the support of celebrity vet Katrina Warren and several tenants agencies in Brisbane. But the Property Owners Association of Queensland defends landlords, claiming that it is difficult to get owners to take responsibility for the damage their pets cause.

Their president Bruce McBryde suggests that the regulations be changed to make landlords demand a larger bond for people with pets, creating an incentive for them to allow animals.

The RSPCA reports that 30% of pets surrendered are because their owners could not find suitable accommodation.