Keeping a pet in an apartment can prove a messy, not to mention costly, business. Fiona Barron, a director of O'Dwyer Property Management, tells the story of the apartment owners who went off to work, leaving their exotic pet to its own devices.

"A forced entry had to be made because water was leaking down to the apartment below. The bath was overflowing and a large turtle was found swimming around. We had heard that a rare breed of turtle was missing from Dublin Zoo and we put two and two together and came up with five. It turned out not to be the turtle in question."

The thing with unusual pets is that people often don't know how to look after them, says Gillian Bird, education officer at the DSPCA, who says there is now a serious stray snake problem in the capital.

"A lot of people get parrots and snakes and do not research how long they live, how expensive they are to keep, or their requirements. They buy a snake that starts off small but grows big enough to need an enclosure. It can end up taking up half or three-quarters of a living area and people then get rid of them. They are often found wandering around in gardens."

Dogs and cats are usually the main source of contention when it comes to the emotive issue of whether it is appropriate to allow pets in apartment schemes.

Many management companies take a tough stance on the issue. Tony Macken of Foremost Property Management says "for the most part, dogs and cats are not allowed" in the blocks he manages.

"Most leases specifically forbid pets. One block in Killiney that was built in the 1970s has no rule about pets but says if they become a nuisance the owner will be asked to get rid of them.

"Speaking personally, as a dog owner, I find it incredibly stressful and disturbing to have to tell people to get rid of their pet - especially if they are elderly and the pet is a companion. Sometimes people bring an animal into the apartment and do not realise it isn't allowed until someone complains. One thing people get very annoyed about is dogs fouling the flower beds and lawns of the complex."

He believes that an apartment is no place for a dog, in particular.

"It's not a suitable environment even for small dogs. They may be well behaved but owners go out and leave the dog behind, the dog starts barking and that annoys other people.

"Cats are different in that they are more domestic animals but at the same time it is unfair to keep them cooped up."

Gillian Bird says the DSPCA's policy is not to give stray animals to those working full time.

"We don't approve of dogs being left on their own. There has to be someone in the house most of the day. Otherwise animals can become bored, restless and noisy and they can become destructive and damage property. If they are allowed to roam the streets they can be hit by a car. Cats are slightly different in that they can sleep half the day and do their own thing but if they live on the upper floors of a block there is a danger they will jump off a balcony after a fly."

The general rule of thumb, she says, is to use common sense. "We generally accept it is okay to keep a dog or cat in an apartment as long as the animal is not too large - for example, a Rottweiler in a tiny flat. And a dog should be exercised regularly."

Isabel MacMahon told Apartment Living about her painstaking hunt to either rent or buy an apartment that would welcome her pet dog and cat. She sold her house and was unable to find a suitable replacement within the six-week deadline to the close of the sale.

"My plan then was to extend the date until the end of August and look to either buy or rent an apartment, move in and then look for a suitable house.

"I went to so many apartments and only two would accept animals - the Mespil Estate in Ballsbridge and Charlotte Quay apartments - but the location of those didn't suit. I decided to rent a place and as soon as I told the owners I had pets they weren't interested.

"I explained the dog is middle sized, he doesn't bark at postmen or anybody coming to the door and the cat is neutered and very clean with no smell but the answer was still no."

She went to see a house in Monkstown which she describes as "dirty and expensive".

"They said no dogs were allowed and I thought I wouldn't allow my dog to live here."

She thought she'd found the perfect apartment in Dalkey, with acres of green fields surrounding it, but the management company refused admission.

With only three days to go to the close of her house sale, she found her current abode, a cottage in Dalkey, but it took some convincing.

"The landlord had a bad experience with a previous tenant who had a cat which encouraged the neighbours' cats to congregate. I explained that the cat was probably not neutered."

While she is very happy in her new home, she was asked to pay six months' rent in advance and had little option, given her long search for suitable accommodation, but to pay it.

"My neighbour said she didn't know I had a dog, they never hear him barking. Some pets may be a nuisance to others but maybe they have bad owners. Mine behave very well."

Some tenants and apartment owners are not so honest when it comes to declaring pets to their landlord or management company.

"In practice, who is going to know unless the pet becomes a nuisance?" asks Fiona Barron. "In many cases the pet is not a problem unless it is deemed a nuisance by other residents. The management company will generally not take action unless a dog is barking or fouling the lawns or there are hairs in the common area. Although you may come across a fussy resident who doesn't want pets around under any circumstances."

She has never come across a situation where a pet has been removed. "You take instructions from the board of directors and reach an amenable situation. We had a case where a dog bit someone and the choice was to have him muzzled or put down. The dog now walks around with a muzzle and nobody is taken aback by it. Whether or not pets are accepted often depends on the people who live in a development."

Carina Warner of Hooke & MacDonald's lettings department says often those moving here from abroad come in for a rude awakening. "Their animal may have been in quarantine for a couple of months and it comes over and they are unable to find a place that will allow them keep it. Even small developments often won't accept pets, particularly large dogs."

When pets are allowed, it is up to the individual landlord whether or not they ask for a large rent in advance or a hefty deposit. "Generally, they will ask for two months' deposit to cover them if carpets need to be professionally cleaned, or if there's damage."

emorgan@irish-times.ie