A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction Wednesday that allowed a service dog to be at least temporarily reunited with his disabled owner.
Jim Sak moved to Aurelia, Iowa less than two months ago to help take care of his wife's mother. He's a disabled veteran, but his service dog Snickers, a pit bull mix, was prevented from making the move because a city-wide ban on pit bulls.
Until U.S. District Judge Mark W. Bennett issued the preliminary injunction Wednesday, Snickers had been staying at a kennel just outside Aurelia because the town had threatened to destroy the dog.
The judge said that Sak would suffer "sustainable harm" without Snickers. After a 2008 stroke, the registered service dog was trained to help Sak if he falls.
"He's a part of me," Sak told KTIV. "This right side don't work, but he does."
The Americans with Disabilities Act says that disabled people have the right to have service dogs, regardless of their breed.
Watch this video from KSIV, broadcast Dec. 28, 2011.
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