Jo Cooper won a six-and-a-half-year legal battle to allow a dog in the Horizon, a premium Sydney building with a long-standing no-pets bylaw, in a NSW Court of Appeal decision that overturned blanket pet bans in NSW strata schemes.

The landmark ruling found blanket pet bans oppressive and effectively prevented strata schemes across NSW from prohibiting pets, with national influence and frequent citation in subsequent matters.

The case focused on Angus and followed Cooper’s appeals through NCAT and multiple court levels after she first challenged the bylaw in 2015 and again in 2019.

The ruling is hailed as highly influential, listed among the top 10 influential court cases of the 21st century by the Australian College of Law, and cited internationally, including in Hong Kong and Canada, as a landmark largely led by an individual woman.

Cooper chronicled the journey in Toppling Towers of Power, a tell-all book aimed at inspiring others to challenge injustice and move from bystander to action.

Angus, Cooper’s miniature schnauzer, died a year after the verdict; she has since adopted a puppy named Loki and continues advocacy via The Good Warrior, a social impact platform.

Pet advocacy groups, including Nadia Crighton of Pet Insurance Australia, hail the ruling as a major step forward in recognizing responsible pet ownership within apartment living.

Following the ruling, the Horizon building reportedly shifted to a more permissive stance toward pets, with ongoing administrative adjustments for pet owners amid broader changes in strata governance.