Service Dog Gets U.S. District Court Trial Date

Every dog gets his day. Snickers, a service dog owned by disabled retired Chicago Police Department officer James Sak, will be the subject of a U.S. District Court hearing scheduled for Wednesday, December 28 in Sioux City, Iowa.

The Aurelia (Iowa) City Council ordered the mixed breed dog be removed from Sak's home earlier this month for violating the city's pit bull ban. But, what types of animals does the ban include? Pets? Strays? Service Dogs?

Sak is taking the case to court claiming the city council's decision violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. Sak has also sued the City of Aurelia. Contact has been made with the Aurelia City Hall. As soon as the ordinance is available, an updated post will be published.

Unfortunately Snickers will spend Christmas kenneled at a veterinarian's office in Cherokee, Iowa. The service dog should be at home with his 95 percent wheelchair-bound owner. Since the dog was removed from Sak's home, the disabled man has needed to call 911 for assistance after a fall. Previously Snickers aided Sak in such situations by allowing Sak to roll against the dog and use his collar to elevate himself.

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Comments: 9

Mary Ann Slavcheff Dec 23, 2011, 5:12pm UTC

I hope he wins. Pit Bulls are discriminated against and anyone who knows dogs knows their behavior is the result of how they are treated.

Angela Tague Dec 26, 2011, 2:25pm UTC

So true! Thank you for your comment!

☃ Shannon K. Wendt Dec 26, 2011, 5:28pm UTC

Right on, Mary Ann!

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M L M. Dec 24, 2011, 10:49pm UTC

The dog in this picture is not the same as the black one you pictured in the other article. Is there a reason? In any case, we need to ban the fools that DARE to ban a Certified Service Dog, they already went through extensive training to help a disabled individual and those people have NO right to take that away from that person. I wish the Army would step in and give testamony, I know they do a lot of extensive dog training for all kinds of things including services dogs for their disabled veterans. This is an insult to the veteran or disabled person who has already been through enough as it is.

Angela Tague Dec 26, 2011, 2:24pm UTC

Hello,
Yes, it is a different dog in the picture. I do not have access to copyright-free images of Mr. Sak and Snickers. The images for both articles are stock photos of pit bull dogs. If you'd like to see a photo of Mr. Sak and his dog, check out the article on Disabled World at http://www.disabled-world.com/news/america/iowa/aurelia.php Thank you, Angela

M L M. Dec 26, 2011, 3:22pm UTC

Thanks, I'll do that.
I have mixed breeds and would hate for some uneducated fool to ban my babies because they may look like what they call Pit Bulls, I know a lot of those idiots mistake Boxers for Pits and they are distictly different. I would love to ban those people from running in political campaign...pleze excuse the spelling, LOL.

M L M. Dec 26, 2011, 3:31pm UTC

Wow, how sad, poor Snickers doesn't have the pit look I expected to see, he looks more like a lab.

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Bruce K. Dec 26, 2011, 3:34pm UTC

banning pit bulls makes a lot of sense, i just wish we could ban the people who would own them, they both scare me.

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Angela Tague Dec 28, 2011, 10:59pm UTC

Woo Hooo! Snickers is home!
Updated Article: http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474980958163

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Service Dog Gets U.S. District Court Trial Date

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