After struggling for years to control a severe anxiety disorder, one Chicago resident said she finally found solace in an adorable prescription: a fluffy toy spaniel named Boo.
Mary Jo Stevens said her “psychiatric service” animal stymies her frequent panic attacks, often as she sleeps, by lying on her when her breathing becomes erratic.
The high-rise has a no-dogs-allowed policy, and a manager says the building has tried to accommodate Stevens’ disability by letting her keep Boo.
Stevens said, she is supposed to hold him in a carrier in the lobby and laundry room, and use a service elevator and side doors as she comes and goes.
Stevens and her husband, Ralph, have filed a federal lawsuit, arguing that stowing Boo in a carrier defeats his therapeutic purpose
Her building manager says, “She’s not blind.”
So the rights of therapy a dog varies with the severity of it’s owners disability?
We don’t think so.
The residents of Hollywood Towers remain divided over Boo, who is well-known in the building.
[Image via WENN.]