[nagdu] Cincinnati Family with miniature horse service animal, sues city.

[Craig Heaps]

The first thing I thought was "imagnie the size of the plastic bags they 
have to carry."  :)
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Deanna Lewis" <DLewis at clovernook.org>
To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, February 20, 2014 5:50 AM
Subject: [nagdu] Cincinnati Family with miniature horse service animal,sues 
city.


> Hi All,
> I saw this story on the News last night, and found two different articles 
> that I wanted to share with you all.
> I'm curious what other's thoughts are on this...
> Deanna and Pascal
>
>
> First Article
>
> BLUE ASH, Ohio -A Hamilton County family that has a miniature horse as a 
> service animal is suing their city, alleging its refusal to let them keep 
> the animal violates federal housing law and protections for people with 
> disabilities.
>
> Blue Ash resident Ingrid Anderson and the advocacy group Housing 
> Opportunities Made Equal, or HOME, filed the lawsuit Tuesday in federal 
> court in Cincinnati.
>
> The lawsuit states a doctor at Cincinnati Children's Hospital recommended 
> the horse for Anderson's daughter, who has physical ailments and uses it 
> for support to walk in her yard.
>
> "People have the right to have any service animal in their home if it is 
> recommended by a medical professional," HOME's Executive Director 
> Elizabeth Brown said.
>
> Anderson said the miniature horse Ellie helps her disabled daughter Chloe, 
> 13, who has scoliosis, heart problems and life-threatening injuries. She 
> said the horse helps Chloe break barriers.
>
> "Chloe has gained so many social skills because a typical kid is not real 
> likely to walk up to a child in a wheelchair and engage in conversation," 
> Anderson said.
>
> However, the city of Blue Ash said Anderson is breaking the rules and that 
> her daughter's miniature horse must go.
>
> "We have received numerous complaints from residents around the area that 
> they cannot enjoy their residences or their backyards due to the smell and 
> noise," Blue Ash public relations coordinator Emily Schaffer said.
>
> Brown said Blue Ash officials characterized the horse as livestock that 
> must be removed, a contention that the city said City Council and a court 
> have agreed with.
>
> She said the group tried to work with the city and the lawsuit is a last 
> resort.
>
> "We're not looking for preferential treatment. That's what the ADA is 
> about is to protect the disabled so they can get the bit of assistance or 
> quality of life," Anderson said.
>
> Blue Ash's solicitor said the city is enforcing its ordinance.
>
> "Beyond the miniature horse referenced in the lawsuit, Anderson has also 
> kept a second miniature horse, an alpaca, pigs, roosters, rabbits and more 
> than six dogs at the property, a small residential lot of 50 x 175 feet," 
> the city said in a news release.
>
> "Blue Ash sympathizes with the family and takes its obligations under the 
> Federal Housing Administration very seriously. However, Blue Ash's code 
> does not make the property inaccessible for the alleged disability and the 
> requested accommodation is not reasonable," Schaffer said.
>
> Anderson has since removed the animals and they are at her farm in Mount 
> Orab while the lawsuit plays out.
>
> The Anderson family and the city of Blue Ash have a court hearing at the 
> end of the week.
> Second Article
>
> City officials forced a family to remove a service animal used by their 
> daughter, a family in Ohio has filed a lawsuit alleging violations of the 
> Americans with Disabilities Act.
> City officials in Blue Ash are forcing the family to remove 
> <http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20140218/NEWS01/302180095/Family-sues-Blue-Ash-over-daughter-s-service-horse> 
> the animal on the grounds that the animal is "livestock" and not a 
> recognized service animal:
> The lawsuit, filed by Housing Opportunities Made Equal, or HOME, and 
> Ingrid Anderson, a mother of a child with disabilities, says the city 
> violated the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, 
> HOME executive director Elizabeth Brown said.
> The service animal, a miniature horse named Ellie, is the size of a large 
> dog and has been trained as a service animal and recommended by Children's 
> Hospital Medical Center for Anderson's 13-year-old daughter Chloe, who has 
> suffered from numerous physical ailments since birth, Anderson said.
>
> Anderson told 
> <http://www.wlwt.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/ohio-family-with-mini-horse-as-service-animal-sues/24559642#ixzz2tpfZcL1O> 
> WLWT the horse helped Chloe break barriers, especially among other 
> children. "Chloe has gained so much social skills because a typical kid is 
> not real likely to walk up to a child in a wheelchair and engage in 
> conversation," she said. According to the 
> lawsuit<http://www.wlwt.com/blob/view/-/24560218/data/1/-/ou4b6cz/-/Miniature-horse-federal-complaint.pdf>, 
> a doctor at Cincinnati Children's Hospital recommended the horse for 
> Chloe.
> "People have the right to have any service animal in their home if it is 
> recommended by a medical professional," Brown 
> said<http://www.wlwt.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/Family-that-claims-mini-horse-as-service-animal-sues-Blue-Ash/24559642>.
> For their part, the city says it has been working with the family for four 
> years, and during that time there have been numerous complaints filed from 
> neighbors about the Anderson's property. Anderson also keeps pigs, 
> rabbits, dogs, roosters, an alpaca (which the family says is also used for 
> service and therapy purposes) and another miniature horse. Their property 
> is 50-foot-by-175-foot residential lot.
> Anderson recently moved the other animals to another location until the 
> lawsuit is resolved.
> According to Cincinnati.com, the Blue Ash City Council and Hamilton County 
> Municipal Court have ruled 
> <http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20140218/NEWS01/302180095/Family-sues-Blue-Ash-over-daughter-s-service-horse> 
> the horse is not a service animal according to the law.
> "Blue Ash is enforcing its ordinance and looks forward to being vindicated 
> in court," Blue Ash City Solicitor Bryan Pacheco 
> said<http://www.wlwt.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/Family-that-claims-mini-horse-as-service-animal-sues-Blue-Ash/24559642>.
> The next step in the lawsuit is a meeting 
> <http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20140218/NEWS01/302180095/Family-sues-Blue-Ash-over-daughter-s-service-horse> 
> with a judge for both parties on Feb. 21.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nagdu mailing list
> nagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> nagdu:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/craig.heaps%40comcast.net