Talk about a weighty issue.
Seems a disabled elderly woman who walks with a cane is being fined $25 each time she doesn’t carry her pet through the lobby of her condominium complex in Long Beach, Calif.
Faced with a balance of $1,600 in condo-association demerits, she is appealing to the state department of fair housing because a 10-year-old back injury prevents her from lifting the 20-pound mixed spaniel.
There is a reasonable solution. If the problem is muddy paw prints on the carpet, simply provide the dog with a wheeled wire crate that can be rolled back and forth during potty breaks.
The bottom line: State laws allow handicapped persons with guide dogs to access all facilities used by the public. This case is no different.
The condo board needs to—pardon the pun—lighten up. (12 MARCH 2006)
