Animal lover’s rent dispute

Lu Di, the 84-year-old director of the China Small Animal Protection Association, was sued by her landlady for late rent payments on a villa she had rented to house stray cats and dogs, the Beijing Times reported.

The landlady, a woman surnamed Zhang, claimed in court that after Lu signed the housing contract in 2012, the numerous animals housed in the apartment had caused many complaints from neighbors. Then Lu moved out of the apartment without telling her, leaving behind serious damage to furniture and fixtures.

Lu claimed that it was Zhang who had changed the lock and driven her away; Lu has filed a counterclaim asking for the deposit and the remainder of the rent money. The case is still pending.