Iowa Town's Pitbull Ban Forces Retired Chicago Cop to Give Up Service Dog

By Chuck Sudo in News on Dec 22, 2011 8:00PM

Dogs truly are a man's best friend and, having owned a pitbull who could sense when we needed a break from work, we can attest that pitbulls are among the sweetest and most caring breeds we've ever come across.

Which is why this story in today's Chicago Sun-Times makes the blood boil solely from sheer misguided nature. Jim Sak was a Chicago Police officer for 32 years who retired to Aurelia, IA with his wife. Sak suffered a major stroke that left him with spasms in his leg when he gets upset and requires a service dog to alert his wife whenever he needs assistance. The service dog, named Snickers, is a pitbull mix.

Unfortunately, Aurelia, IA also has a pitbull ban and its city council recently voted 3 to 2 to not make an exception for Sak's needs. Sak had to have Snickers shipped to an out-of-town kennel near his mother-in-law's home, or else town officials threatened to seize and destroy Snickers. This also sets the foundation for a lawsuit on the grounds that the Americans with Disabilities Act guarantees people with disabilities the right to have service dogs, regardless of breed. The Animal Farm Foundation has hired an attorney to represent Sak and pay for Snickers's boarding.

Aurelia passed the pitbull ban in 2008 after a meter reader was bitten by one. Attorney George Wittgraf, who's representing the town, said Aurelia is “simply exercising its authority to protect and preserve the rights and property of its residents — whether or not that’s trumped by” federal law. Aurelia City Clerk Barb Messerole said several town residents expressed concern over Snickers after learning he was a pitbull. They’re aggressive and could hurt somebody. If the service animal was anything but a pit bull, it would have been fine,” she said.

A dog is only as aggressive as the owner who trains him. On the surface, it appears here as though the residents of Aurelia have read or watched too many stories about pitbulls and violence. In our experience, we've had more aggressive interactions with chihuahuas than pitbulls and we don't see local governments banning them.

But then Illinois treats its pets better than any other state in the nation. Care to hazard a guess as to what state is at the bottom?

Iowa. It may be a Field of Dreams for baseball lovers, but it's Hell for dogs.