Animal surrenders on the rise amid Calgary rental crisis

 When Amanda Lease found out a puppy name Krue was going to be given up for adoption, she knew she had to step in. Two and a half years later, they’re still inseparable.

“He is my partner,” Lease said. “He loses it when I’m gone. It breaks my heart every time I have to leave him.”

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But after Lease was evicted from her home — which she says was quickly sold afterward — she faced a difficult choice.

Unable to find affordable, pet-friendly housing, she’s been living in her truck with Krue.

“Either they ghost me or they’re holding impromptu bidding wars, asking tenants, ‘What’s your budget?’ And whoever has the highest budget gets it.”

And she’s not alone.

Local advocacy groups say they’re seeing an unprecedented number of people looking to give up their pets — mostly dogs — because they can’t find housing.

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