Mother of four dogs facing homelessness after being told no pets allowed

A mother on the brink of homelessness after suffering a mental breakdown and losing her job is looking to move into a van instead of applying for temporary accommodation after the council was told she could not can bring the dogs. Beth Brombley, 56, from Blaby, lives with her four rescue dogs, Pip Pop, Meg, Alfie and Mai Mai.

Meg lost her job as an operations manager for a cleaning company after being diagnosed with PTSD in January this year. With no income, she can’t afford the £950 rent on her four-bedroom property and is on the verge of being evicted, having already emptied her savings and racked up around £3,000 in debt.

Beth was hoping to apply for emergency accommodation but Blaby District Council told her that pets are not allowed so she will have to find them a new home. But being separated from her pets, one of whom has no eyes, could have devastating consequences for Beth, who described them as her “lifeline”.

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On several occasions when Beth’s mental health suffered, she turned to her dogs for comfort and added that taking them away would be a “death sentence”. Faced with mounting debt, Beth came up with a solution to moving into a motor home, such as converting an RV, camper or van. He is now racing to raise £6,500 so he can afford one of the ‘cheapest possible’ models and get back on his feet.

“It would have been a death sentence for me,” Beth told PA Real Life. “My dogs are my lifeline. I have two jack russell terriers, a tibetan spaniel and a spaniel cross.

“They’re just hugging monsters. Alfie is nicknamed Sir Bark-a-lot, Mai Mai is a naughty monkey, Meg is the boss and Pip Pop is my devoted child. People don’t realize how important pets are in people’s lives. I never thought I could end up in this situation.”

Beth moved to Blaby in Sussex with her two children, who have since moved, in 2018 to be closer to her mother Margaret. When her mother died in 2022, Beth’s mental health took a turn for the worse.

In January, she was diagnosed with PTSD and lost her job as an operations manager. Beth could no longer afford to pay the £950-a-month rent on her four-bedroom semi-detached house and is now three months in arrears.

“I emptied my savings account and paid as much as I could,” she said. “I really tried to pay as much as I could.”

Her only source of income is through Universal Credit which provides £360 a month. Unable to cover the bills, Beth said she was on the verge of being evicted and becoming homeless.

She contacted the local council to apply for emergency accommodation but was told pets were not allowed. This means that Beth would have to find her beloved dogs a new home and they would most likely be separated.

“Temporary accommodation would mean losing my family and if it wasn’t for the dogs I probably wouldn’t be here,” Beth said. “They’re a family that’s been through trauma themselves, because they’re all rescues. I just can’t see them apart.”

According to Blaby District Council, the decision to accept pets rests with its temporary accommodation providers, including landlords, social housing providers and property owners.

However, for Beth the thought of losing her beloved dogs is extremely upsetting as they have been a constant source of comfort and support.

Speaking through tears, she said: “As well as breaking my heart to see them go, it would be a death sentence. I can’t tell when I’m going to have a really bad day.”

“One day I was sitting there feeling really down and thinking this is never going to end. I was thinking about killing myself and one of my dogs knew, because I looked at her and realized I can’t do that.”

After months of fearing she might lose her dogs, Beth may have come up with a solution: trade bricks and mortar for wheels.

“The only way forward I could think of was to find something that I didn’t own, like a motorhome or a caravan,” she said. She is looking to buy a converted van or motorhome for between £6,000 and £7,000, which she reckons will halve her expenses.

“Obviously, the more money you have, the better you get,” she added. I looked at the cheapest caravans that are on the road, in case I can’t find a place to park. So I was looking at £6,000 or £7,000 vehicles rather than the nice ones costing £20,000 and up.”

Beth believes that moving out of the house and spending time in greener spaces could also help her mental health. He also wants “desperately” to find another job where he can help people facing similar circumstances.

“I desperately want it because I’ve worked all my life and it’s important to me,” she said. “I didn’t realize how soul-destroying it can be for someone (to go through this) and I would love to go and help others.”

To help buy her new mobile home, Beth launched a GoFundMe fundraiser for £6,500, which received over £1,000 in donations. “I’ve never been used to asking for help, I really haven’t,” she said.

“I want to get to a stage where I can finally get better, go back to work and live a normal life again. I can’t thank the people who have already donated enough. I am surprised and shocked. through the help I have received so far”.

To support Beth, visit: www.gofundme.com/f/home-needed-with-my-fur-family.