NEAR SIOUX CITY, Ia. — An Iowa couple can keep their service dog after winning a battle against the city of Aurelia. Jim Sak had a stroke in 2008. After his stroke, he was given a service dog named Snickers.
“That dog has been through a ton and we’ve been through a ton,” stroke survivor Jim Sak said.
The couple moved to Aurelia to be closer to Jim’s aging mother-in-law. They didn’t know that Aurelia City code banned the breed of dog that Jim uses as a service dog.
“He had never been separated from us ever,” said Peggy Sak.
Jim says despite the ban, he doesn’t think the people in the city mean any harm.
“The people in this city, most of them are good. You got a couple that don’t understand what a service dog is,” he said.
Sak uses a scooter because he is prone to falling. If Jim should fall, Snickers helps him gets back up.
“Snickers will lay down next to me I get to grab his collar, and he will drag and help me drag myself back on my stomach and I can crawl over to a chair or a table and pick myself up,” he said.
Sak took the fight all the way to federal court and won. The city settled on Thursday. The couple can keep Snickers. Even if Jim passes away, Snickers can stay. The dog is a big help to Sak because it helped him discover another medical problem several months ago.
“Snickers was licking my face on this side constantly,” he said.
That’s when Jim felt lumps. After seeing a doctor, a specialist confirmed the couple’s worst fear, throat cancer. After a few months of radiation and chemo, Jim learned the results of his latest test right
after they reached a settlement about Snickers.
“Right after I found out I got to keep my dog, I found out my biopsies are all negative,” he said.
The couple says after a year long court battle and a short battle with cancer, they can now breathe a sigh of relive.
“Life is good!” said Peggy Sak.
