"Property owners will tell you they've got to think about property value, that pets will surely ruin them over time," Mabbutt told the Coeur d'Alene Press.

The federal Fair Housing Act makes it illegal for the owner of a complex of four or more units, including apartments, hotels and motels, to refuse someone a room because of animals prescribed to help cope with a mental or physical condition.

Mabbutt said testing by the Intermountain Fair Housing Council has found 80 percent noncompliance by landlords in Idaho concerning companion or service animals.

"Some landlords are operating by what I call arrogance — 'This is my property. I can do what I want. I will set the rules,'" he said. "Some claim they don't know anything."

Companion animals are designated by a letter or prescription from any health professional, such as doctors, registered nurses, psychologists and physical therapists.

"If your physical therapist says, 'Look, get Rover to take you for walks, the animal will make you get up, make you get out,'" Mabbutt said. "It keeps you ambulatory, and it's somebody who needs you, somebody that you care for. And that can make all the difference."

Mabbutt said it's also illegal for landlords to require a pet deposit for companion animals or ask about an applicant's medical condition.

He said about 40 administrative complaints have been filed this year in Idaho, and that a lawsuit was settled in June for $20,000 involving a Sandpoint apartment complex.

One renter who has had problems in the past is 41-year-old Melissa Rogers, who said her depression can get so bad she can't get out of bed. She has four companion pets prescribed by her doctor.

"They're the reason I get up in the morning," she said. "They have to be fed, have to be watered, have to be taken care of. I can't just lay in bed because I'm depressed."

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Information from Coeur d'Alene Press