Local authority cannot help unless Yvette Fouché gives up her dogs – ‘Out of the question; I love them’
Alekson Lacerda
Thu Dec 11 2025 – 13:00 • 3 MIN READ
A woman who lived with her two dogs for 14 years until her tenancy in north Dublin recently ended is facing Christmas in a caravan with little heating or power.
Yvette Fouché (54), who moved to Ireland from France in 2008, says it is impossible to find a rental property that allows dogs and now relies on the generosity of neighbours to support her.
She had an informal rental agreement with her landlady, paying €400 per month for the home from which she also ran her small dog-walking business.
Her difficulties began when her landlady died in December 2022 and the family needed to sell the property. She was offered the opportunity to buy the home but could not afford it.
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“They were not too bad, to be honest. They didn’t pressure me,” she says. “They would give me a call once in a while to see if I had found something. I’ve been looking for new places since the day I learned that my landlady died.
“The prices were absolutely crazy. It was already, in my opinion, expensive in 2011 when I moved into the house I was in, but it has increased three or four times in basically 12 years. I don’t make that much [money].”
Ms Fouché struggled to find anything affordable and prospective landlords did not respond once they learned about her dogs, Bella (14) and Duchess (19).
Without options, she continued to live in the house. “I told [the owners] I couldn’t move until I found something.”
After some time, her tenancy was formally registered with Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) and in April 2024, she received a notice to vacate the house by December 6th.
Following further, unsuccessful efforts to find alternative accommodation, she was given a final deadline of last September.
“The [RTB] tribunal told me you better accept the landlord’s offer because if we go to the hearing, we’re going to give you a date much shorter, and if you don’t leave the house by the date, the landlord can take you to the civil tribunal, and then your name will be publicly registered as a bad tenant, as somebody who refused to move, and they can call on the sheriff to move you out,” she says.
She has been trying, with some difficulty, to apply for a council home. Emergency accommodation was not available because of her pets. “If I wanted [the council] to be able to help me, I needed to get rid of my dogs. It’s out of the question. I love them.”
Faced with little option, she decided to spend her savings on a second-hand caravan which is now located on the same street. She put her belongings in storage and moved in.
The trailer is not well insulated and for safety reasons she avoids using the gas system. She cannot use the toilet inside and relies on the generosity of the neighbours for basic needs. She has a chargeable portable battery for appliances.
When winter started, the temperature dropped. “It’s as cold inside as it is outside. It’s horrible. I had to send my dogs to a friend because it’s too cold. They’re old dogs. So that part is quite difficult,” she says.
Ms Fouché said that on a night of heavy rain in December, a couple of homeless people knocked on her door, offering to pay to spend the night. “They knocked heavily and asked me lots of questions, including how long I planned to stay,” she recalled.
On another occasion, she said a man attempted to get inside. He “knocked at the door and try to see if it was open”, but she was relieved that several neighbours were outside at the time, which she believes likely prevented him from entering.
Gardaí have visited her three times, by a request from Dublin City Council, asking her to remove the caravan from the street and go elsewhere.
In November, the Government included in the Housing for All Action Plan 2025–2030 a move to end blanket bans on pets in social housing. The plan would mean local councils and Approved Housing Bodies would have to evaluate pet requests on an individual basis.
Dublin City Council and the Residential Tenancies Board did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.