Washington: Woman upset that city wants her to prove her claims that her Pit Bull is a Lab mix and also a Service Dog

WASHINGTON -- Danika Denton lives in Yakima and had her service dog Romeo for over a year before he was force to move outside city limits, after the city discovered he was a pit bull.

Denton is now suing the city.

"Romeo has an innate ability to really aid Danika and that makes him an emotional support animal, but he is also a service dog because of the individualized training," said attorney Adam Karp who is representing Denton.

According to the case report, Denton didn't have anywhere to take Romeo, so the city impounded him until she found someone outside the city who was willing to take him. When family members agreed to take the Pit Bull, the shelter released the dog to them.

The city of Yakima implemented a pit bull ban back in 1987 that bans four specific pit bull breeds; American pit bull terriers, Staffordshire pit bull terriers, American bulldogs and American Staffordshire pit terriers.

Yakima Communications and Public Affairs Director Randy Beehler said the council implemented the ban after a few pit bulls attacked people.

KILLED BY A PIT BULL

"The case that really drew a lot of attention was an older gentleman, a senior citizen, who was in a wheelchair and got attacked by a pit bull," said Beehler. "His injuries were so severe that he passed away." 

The city could not discuss Denton's case but Beehler said the ban excludes service dogs if they are certified in the city.

"So if somebody has a pit bull that does meet the criteria, the DNA criteria, they have to come to the city, go through a process of certifying that that dog is in fact a service animal," he said. "Otherwise no, it can't be allowed in the city." 

Although it's not clear why Romeo was forced to move outside the city if he is a service dog. However, according to the case report, Denton doesn't even think Romeo is a Pit Bull, she said he is a Labrador Retriever mix.

The author of this article is clearly biased towards the dog owner. The city official told them why the dog was banished -- they say Denton hasn't met the criteria for allowing the dog to stay. Get the DNA test done, get the proof that it is a true service dog as defined by the ADA and not just her claiming it's a therapy dog slash service dog.

According to the case file, an animal control officer determined Romeo was a pit bull simply by looking at him.

"If they're basing it purely on eyeballing by an officer who may have done a number of evaluations, but there really is no scientific foundation," Karp said.

Beehler said the city is not out actively looking for pit bulls in Yakima but if they receive a complaint, they have to investigate it.

He said the city receives between 80 and 90 complaints about pit bulls a year.

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(KIMA - Dec 9, 2017)