'NO PETS.”

Those two words have long been the bane of renters with animals trying to find a place to call home on the Monterey Peninsula.

Now, in an effort to reduce the number of pets given up for adoption because their owners couldn’t find places to rent, the SPCA of Monterey County is reaching out to pet owners and landlords.

“There are a lot of good renters with great pets that would make wonderful tenants if the landlords could sort the good pet owners with well behaved pets from those who don’t care so much,” said SPCA executive director Gary Tiscornia.

In a new program, the SPCA seeks to show landlords how to better screen pet owners and show animal owners how to be more responsible, he said.

For instance, “if a pet owner has two cats and they provide one litter box, and they don’t understand why their cats go out of the litter box,” Tiscornia said, “we will tell them why [more] litter boxes could help stop that.”

Tiscornia said he wants landlords who currently prohibit pets to work with the SPCA in developing solutions that will “protect their property while expanding their market to include responsible pet owners.”

The goal of the new program is to double the SPCA’s pet-friendly rental listings within the next six months, Tiscornia said. The list, posted on the SPCA’s website, shows rentals in the county that allow pets.

Dianne Mahroom, property manager with the Vistas at High Meadows, which rents to pet owners, said she regularly gets calls from people who have had a difficult time finding a place to live with animals.

The Vistas, which has been listed on the SPCA’s pet friendly list for several years, charges a $50 per pet, per month over the standard rate.

“As long as the pets don’t disturb other tenants it’s OK,” Mahroom said.

The SPCA also offers certification programs for pet owners that show the owner and pet have undergone a specific training course with an animal expert, he said.

“We provide certification that would help a pet with behavioral issues that could be a problem for a landlord,” Tiscornia said.

Last week, Tiscornia sent letters to the editor about the idea to several newspapers but so far has received little response.

“We don’t have a problem connecting with pet owners who are looking for rentals,” he said. “But we’re having a difficult time connecting with landlords.”

Every pet owner denied housing because of an animal “represents a lost home to an SPCA pet” Tiscornia said. At the same time, by considering responsible pet owners, he said, landlords would expand their pool of renters.

Although the SPCA doesn’t have statistics, Tiscornia said a significant number of animals at the SPCA are pets that were given up because their owners couldn’t find places to rent. “It’s been a high enough number to raise our concern,” he said. “And we certainly don’t want pets to be homeless, particularly if they have great homes.”

Particularly concerning, Tiscornia said, is when elderly pet owners must give up their animals.

“There are a significant number of health benefits to owners of pets,” he said. “Let’s do something to foster these relationships for the betterment of our whole community.”

Some apartments listed on the SPCA’s pet-friendly have specific requirements such as an extra deposit, weight limits, and that pets be spayed or neutered. One apartment complex in Pacific Grove asks that pets be “friendly and quiet.”

Gary Tiscornia can be reached at (831) 373-2631. Tenants with pets are urged to view the pet-friendly listings on the SPCA’s website at www.spcamc.org/rental_properties.htm.