Why staffy and magpie made famous on Instagram face losing their home

More than $50,000 has been raised after the Gold Coast’s rental crisis threatened the home of a well-known staffy and magpie duo and their human ‘parents’.

More than $50,000 has been raised to help an Upper Coomera woman buy the house she shares with her partner and pets after her landlord decided to sell up.

Almost 150,000 people follow Juliette Wells’s Instagram page chronicling the life and times of her pet Staffordshire bull terrier Peggy and a magpie called Molly.

The pair formed an unlikely bond after Ms Wells found the young magpie wandering “lost, weak and frightened” while out walking her dog in September 2020.

Molly and Peggy face being left with no home.

After being unable to find the bird’s parents, Ms Wells brought it home, where Peggy and Molly soon became inseparable.

“The bond between these two very different species grew so strong it was nothing short of a miracle,” she said.

“We watched them snuggle, fall asleep together and groom each other. They were inseparable.”

Juliette Wells with her partner Reece Mortensen and Peggy and Molly.

Ms Wells said the “rug was pulled out from us” when she and partner Reece Mortensen were told that they would have to leave their rental property by the end of this month because the landlord wanted to put it up for auction.

“We had plans of buying this place but with the rise in house prices we have been knocked out of the running,” Ms Wells said.

“... This is the only place Peggy, Molly and Ruby (Peggy’s six-month-old puppy) have ever known.

“One minute we were cruising along and the next minute the rug is pulled out from under us. We are devastated to tell you the truth.”

After revealing her plight, friend Desiree Fraser launched a GoFundMe campaign seeking to raise $500,000 to help Ms Wells purchase the property. In ten days it has raised almost $55,000.

Ms Wells said she had been “overwhelmed” by the support.

Peggy and Molly have become inseparable.

Ms Wells and her partner are among many people on the Gold Coast struggling to find a place to live amid soaring rental costs and vacancy rates as low as 0.3 per cent in some suburbs.

The Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ) this week called on the state government to provide extra incentives for owners to list properties for rent, amid reports many landlords were quitting the business.

SIGN OF THE TIMES: $320 A WEEK WITH NO TOILET

It’s got a kitchenette, outdoor entertaining area, off-street parking and is in an idyllic location, with plenty of nature walks nearby.

Gold Coasters desperate to find somewhere to live will also be interested to know that rent for this property is only $320 per week.

But there’s a catch. This Mt Nathan home is in a converted shipping container. And it doesn’t have its own toilet.

The converted shipping container is being offered for rent at $320 per week.

It includes an outdoor entertaining area with barbecue facilities.

The owners of the unusual unit said they normally list it on Airbnb for $95 a night. But they are offering terms of up to six months as the Gold Coast grapples with a rental crisis that has seen vacancy levels drop as low as 0.3 per cent in some suburbs.

“You will have your own space – kitchenette, barbecue facilities, outdoor gas oven and burners, off street parking, access to huge firepit and yard,” they said.

“Shared bathroom in main house with husband and wife. We keep the bathroom clean at all times with respect to the next person.

“Easy going, friendly, non smoking, low drama family looking for like minded individual.

“... We want you to feel as relaxed and happy as we feel here.

“... Trees, nature and the sounds of birds abound.”

The converted shipping container is being offered for rent at $320 per week.

Facilities include a barbecue and an outdoor gas oven.

The offer was welcomed by many members of the community, given the crippling shortage of rentals on the Gold Coast.

“This is gorgeous guys – thank you for making this available for people in this scary rental crisis,” one person said.

There are a number of nature walks near the property.

Owners say trees, nature and the sounds of birds abound.

The Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ) and charity Q Shelter earlier this week launched a campaign to encourage owners of holiday units to transition their properties to the long-term rental market.

“We are pleading with people with empty properties, or properties let on the short term rental market to consider the many benefits of bringing those homes and apartments onto the long-term rental market,” CEO Antonia Mercorella said.

“This is a crisis, and we need every available property we can find.”

Follow @keithjwoods