For apartment hunters with animals in tow, many doors are shut. But it is possible to find a pet-friendly home.

SAY YOU ARE APARTMENT HUNTING ON A TUESDAY AFTERNOON, AND AT FIRST THINGS APPEAR PROMISING. There are 116 possibilities listed in Monterey alone on apartments.com at the moment, and 84 of them appear to be pet-friendly.

But then you make the next click. Only nine locations allow cats. The same nine places welcome dogs. So at a glance, just 7 percent of available rentals on this particular day accept dogs and cats. There’s no accounting for other animals.

That figure may be a little low, of course. Within each complex there could be several units open. Yet Craig Coming, president of Mangold Property Management in Monterey and a veteran of 23 years in the business, estimates that availability generally runs against pet owners by an 80-20 margin.

Although surveys of pet ownership in the U.S. show varying numbers, most suggest that at least half of American households play host to at least one animal friend. As a result, finding an accommodating apartment can be challenging for those with pets.

“It’s something we work with every day,” Coming acknowledges.

Reasons for this discrepancy include vagaries such as perception. Listings often bar one type of pet, but allow another. Property owners who love dogs, for instance, may dismiss cats as spraying, carpet-shredding fiends. There are also liability concerns imposed by insurance agencies. Even dog-friendly leases often contain stipulations against certain breeds. Another likely cause – perhaps the biggest – is past experience.

Coming recalls a new tenant who moved in with a dog to a unit in Monterey. The person worked in Big Sur, leaving the anxious animal alone all day.

“Other tenants started calling immediately complaining that the dog was barking non-stop,” Coming says. Within a week, it had mangled all the window blinds. It chewed through wooden cabinets, eventually causing $10,000 in damage.

Coming cautions that positive experiences far outweigh negatives, and this case was extreme. But such stories make property owners wary. “If it weren’t for so many irresponsible pet owners, it would be easier,” he adds.

Constraints on the market for pet-friendly rentals have consequences beyond a frustrating search or an ornery pooch. Beth Brookhouser, an SPCA Monterey County spokesperson, has counted 217 animals taken in by the facility whose owners stated specifically that a landlord would not allow pets – and that is in the past year alone.

“Moving and landlord issues are two of the biggest reasons animals come in here.”

“There are probably more than that,” she adds, noting that not everyone who abandons a pet gives a reason. Another 339 animals landed at the SPCA Monterey County because their owners were moving. In some of those cases, the new location likely was not pet-friendly.

“Moving and landlord issues are two of the biggest reasons animals come in here,” Brookhouser says.

Far too often, the innocent pet is the victim of these circumstances. They end up caged, with euthanasia a distinct possibility.

Yet there are tools to help out apartment hunters with animal friends. The SPCA Monterey County website shares a list of rental properties that accept pets. They also can assist with tips for persuading a hesitant property owner.

“Number one, we want people to be honest with landlords,” Brookhouser says. “Quite a few of the 217 were animals people tried to sneak by.”

In addition to communication, the organization recommends pet owners gather references from previous property owners or managers – a pet resume, of sorts. Brookhouser also suggests making an effort to introduce your animal to the owner or management company. “Let them get to know the pet,” she says.

Coming agrees that these steps can help ease resistance to animals. If provided the opportunity, the staff at Mangold will check references and go so far as to “interview” pets, to meet them in person. If convinced an animal will pose no problem, “we’ll call the [property] owner and try to sell them.”

“The owners trust me to advise them,” Coming adds. “Generally they are going to do it.”

There may still be restrictions on the type of pet, size and number. And additional fees may be required. Provided a pet owner on the hunt for a place to rent communicates, gives references and takes other steps to prove the animal is unlikely to be a liability, it is possible that “no pet” doors will open.

But, Brookhouser reiterates, there is one guideline that helps more than others.

“Be a responsible pet owner,” she says. “You don’t want to be the one who spoils it for others.”