Vietnam Vet and retired Chicago Cop denied his service dog?

Man denied 'service dog' seeks legal action

Friday, December 23, 2011
Cherokee Chronicle Times

AURELIA - According to information submitted to the Chronicle Times, James Sak, 65, a disabled Vietnam Veteran and retired Chicago police officer, was forced to relinquish his service dog after the Aurelia City Council voted December 14 to prohibit the dog, identified as a "pit bull," from residing within Aurelia city limits.

Although the City of Aurelia has breed-discriminatory laws prohibiting residents from owning "pit bulls," the Council's decision may possibly violate a 2010 regulation from the United States Department of Justice on breed limitations for service dogs ("Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in State and Local Government Services.")

Sak and his wife, Peggy Leifer, moved to Aurelia in November to live near Leifer's ailing mother, Heddy Engdahl, an 87-year-old long time resident of Aurelia. Sak was accompanied by his service dog, Snickers, who is certified with the National Service Animal Registry.

In 2008, Sak suffered a debilitating stroke that left him permanently disabled and unable to use the right side of his body, and he has been confined to a wheelchair. For two years, Saks worked with Aileen Eviota, a physical therapist with the University of Illinois Medical Center in Chicago, to improve his functional capabilities and live more independently through the use of a service dog.
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