The House of Commons heard a sound case for elderly residents of care homes being allowed to keep their pets.
Labour MP Nick Palmer said there was no consistent policy on pets in care homes or sheltered accommodation. He pointed to evidence that suggested pets had profound benefits on the wellbeing of older people once they had left their own homes.
Nick Palmer's Care Homes (Domestic Pets) Bill would mean there was a "basic presumption" that pets were permitted in all care homes subject to discussion.
Mr Palmer argued that the transfer of elderly people to care homes resulted in 38,000 pets being put down every year. He told MPs:
"Moving from your long-standing home to sheltered or care environments is often traumatic, since you are separating yourself from the independent life that you have.
"If we add to that having to part from your pet and even having to order it to be put down, we add distress and even guilt on top."
Some 65% of care homes have no formal written policy and of those that did, only 29% permitted pet ownership.
Mr Palmer said legislation had already been introduced in the US, Germany, Greece and France to give people the right to keep their animals. Rather than being a burden on the care home, pets provided another focus for residents. He also spoke of the medical benefits of a pet, linked to the psychological wellbeing and comfort it could bring to its owner.
Mr Palmer acknowledged there were concerns, such as whether there would be adequate exercise for animals and the allergies of fellow residents. He said:
"I am not arguing for a blanket policy saying that every pet, from the anaconda to the Rottweiler, has to be admitted.
"What I'm arguing for is a basic presumption that pets should be permitted subject to appropriate discussion about all the eventualities that could arise and provided that it does not cause a nuisance for other residents."
The Bill, which has cross-party support from MPs, received its first reading. However, it is unlikely to become law due to a lack of Parliamentary time.
