Firstly, I'm hoping one of our lawyers/strata manager friends hop in on this one because I am neither of those.

One thing I know for certain is that this is a very complicated issue.  The existing by-laws apply when you buy a strata apartment but any properly constituted subsequent changes to by-laws also apply.

This building has had an unofficial policy of banning pets but it has obviously allowed them up until now which further complicates things from their point of view to the point where making the unofficial ban official could be on shaky ground.

My first instinct would be to talk to the EC, explain your dilemma and give them an undertaking to not replace your pets when they eventually go off to the great dog beach in the sky. In exchange, they don't have to fight you through Fair Trading, the CTTT, the District Court and the Supreme Court for the next few years (becasue that's how long it will take).

Failing that, a chat with a specialist strata lawyer might be a very, very good next step.  And a chat with your solicitor might persuade him to pay for that consultation since he failed to give you all the information you required when buying the property.

Failing all else, if as you say there is a tiny minority running the building, get together with a few like-minded owners and organise a coup.  You will need 75 percent to change the by-laws but once people realise that 30 percent of Australians own pets – that's a big chunk of potential buyers and renters excluded  – and that all the negatives connected to pet ownership can be dealt with through existing Strata Law and by-laws, you might get them onside.

Back in the mists of time, a pet-related coup led to a book then to a newspaper column then this website.

Finally, taking into account all the anger, grief, stress and crap you will have to wade through, think about letting your home then renting in a pet-friendly building.