I was in this exact situation. Partner and I had dreamed of adopting a dog once we finally got to city X. We asked our broker to only show us pet-friendly units (though we didn’t check the policies specifically, our fault). The first unit the building had a very happy chihuahua that we heard every time we came home.

Once settled, we called the management company to ask about the pet approval process and were told: sorry, there is no process. It was incredibly frustrating. We eventually got an ESA letter from my doctor and they immediately gave us approval. We then moved out as soon as our lease was up and left the unit in immaculate condition.