I have to choose between selling my dog or being homeless after we escaped rat-infested home – I don’t know what to do
A DEVASTATED family forced out of their rat-infested home claim they've been ordered to sell their dog ahead of a possible move to a hotel.
Retail worker Sophie Ponting, 30, says her local council has told her to rehome three-year-old cockapoo Luna - and warned they may otherwise be unable to find her new accommodation.
The mum has been renting her two-bed terraced home in Swindon, Wiltshire for eight years. However, the property is now on sale, and the family will be homeless in June.
Sophie says she's never missed rent on the address where she brought up children Holly, seven, and Grace, 10, and has even spent her own money trying to fix "drastic problems" including mould and a rodent infestation.
However, she refuses to sell pet Luna. She's owned the dog since it was nine weeks old.
"I've been trying to find a new private rental, but they're just isn't anything suitable out there," she said.
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"I've been told that when we're evicted, we'll have to go to the council as an emergency case.
"They've said that it's most likely we are going to be housed in a hotel because they don't have any homes available.
"They don't know how long we'll be in the hotel for, but they've told us we'll have to sell our dog as they won't allow them in."
Sophie says she's "never been so disgusted".
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"I lost my rag," she said.
"Luna's my little baby - I got her at nine weeks old and she is going to be three years old in May.
"She is not a pet, she's family and she's not going anywhere.
"I can't understand how they can physically do this. It's causing my children so much distress, and I'm now on medication for anxiety and depression."
She claims her daughter Holly, who had open-heart surgery when she was born, was put at risk by the rented home.
Rather than make improvements, the landlord simply told her to wipe mouldy walls and open windows, she claims.
Sophie has used white vinegar, dehumidifiers and paint to try to solve the problem, but says she believes missing cavity wall insulation is to blame.
MUM'S ANGER
Meanwhile, pest control experts have visited the house in a bid to drive rats out.
She claims council staff have warned her it's unlikely they'll find a new home before her eviction date, and the family may need to move into a hotel instead.
Officials at Swindon Borough Council said: "We do not have a policy which prohibits pets and will always try to find accommodation to allow our tenants to take their pets with them.
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"Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, this is not always possible as some emergency/temporary accommodation has a strict no pet policy.
"We appreciate this will be upsetting for the family, but we will work with them and support them to find a suitable home for both them and their dog."
