Oct 9th 2013
A property owners association in Hobe Sound, Fla., has told one of its residents that he cannot keep his dog, but the man says POA rules do not apply because his dog is a service animal, not a pet. Nick Spagnolo is a Navy veteran who served in Kuwait City and Somalia in the early 1990s, and is now disabled. Spagnolo brought home a Pit Bull named Scarlett last November to help him handle some of his ailments. “I’ve got some medical issues and Scarlett kind of alleviates a lot of those,” Spagnolo told WPBF-TV. “She’s very good as far as emotional support. She’ll help me to wake up in the morning.” Not long after Spagnolo got Scarlett, the the Jamestown Property Owners Association notified him that the dog violated POA regulations limiting pets to 20 pounds. Scarlett weighs 40 pounds.
Spagnolo says the regulation does not apply to Scarlett because she is a service dog, not a pet. Spagnolo’s doctors and the Veterans Administration have sent documents to the POA confirming that Spagnolo is disabled and his service dog is medically necessary. Read more: