When Tina Pacey moved to Orange with her partner five years ago, they had such a difficult time finding a dog-friendly rental property that they spent four months living in a pop-top van.
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"It was a nightmare," she recalled.
When they finally found a property, they were so grateful that they vowed to go above and beyond when looking after it.
"They trusted us, and we wanted to pay them back for that," Ms Pacey said.
"We finished repairing the kitchen, replaced lighting in the bathroom, added curtains and blinds, and we're going to work on the front and do some painting."
She said she empathised with pet owners desperate to find properties in one of Orange's worst shortages in years.
"Landlords can discriminate because they don't have to tell you why you were unsuccessful with an application, they don't have to elaborate."
Ms Pacey, who is studying criminology, said that as disability pensioners she and her partner had faced extra hurdles when attempting to find a property.
Senior property manager at McCormack Barber, Erin Marr, has seen the havoc pets can cause in a rental property first hand.
"Dogs can do a lot of damage; it's not just scratches on the floorboards," she said.
"I've got a photo where someone let a dog poo inside the house, and there is more defecation than carpet in the photo.
"I've seen dogs destroy doors and eat the frames, and had owners who had to replace carpet, curtains, skirting boards."
Mrs Marr sympathised with responsible pet owners and offered tips for those looking for pet-friendly properties.
"They should write a really good covering letter, and write a resume for the dog, including a photo," she said.
"Putting that your dog is prepared to pay an extra $10 a week in rent might help too."
She said those looking for properties had to get their rental history in order.
"Owners have got that much choice at the moment that they can decline you for the smallest indiscretion on your rental history.
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