Meet Abby Johnston, a Moscow resident, who has suffered from mental illness all her life. A pleasant and quiet person, Abby is far more courageous and bold than one observes from first meeting her. Though she has been treated for her condition by various means, Abby needed a new kind of medicine and “Mandy” is just what the doctor prescribed.
Although she didn’t get Mandy from the pharmacy, nor was Mandy mail-ordered, Mandy, Abby says, “Helped calm my nerves.” In Fact, Mandy was such a significant form of treatment for Abby that not only her psychiatrist but also her general practitioner and counselor highly recommended this therapy. Unfortunately, Abby’s new landlord disagreed. |
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In 1998, Abby signed a lease for a new apartment in Pullman. But when the landlord learned of Abby’s treatment, he outright refused to allow her to take occupancy. Though prescribed by three different health professionals, Abby’s treatment was strictly prohibited by the landlord’s lease. Why? Because Abby’s prescription, Mandy, was a feline. Yes, Mandy was a cat.
Needless to say, this was quite distressing to Abby. What was she going to do without Mandy? Thankfully, Abby knew there must be some solution—some sort of protection for her because Mandy was a form of treatment for her mental illness. In her quest for information and a possible resolution to her dilemma, Abby contacted Mark Leeper and Krista Kramer at Disability Action Center NW, Inc. who, being quite familiar with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), knew exactly how Abby should proceed and coached her through it, step-by-step.
"Under the Fair Housing Act,
landlords are further required to make
exceptions to “no pet” policies..."
Although the Americans with Disabilities Act requires business owners and landlords to make reasonable accommodations for service animals for people with disabilities, the Fair Housing Act takes the requirement one more step. Under the Fair Housing Act, landlords are further required to make exceptions to “no pet” policies for any animal that ameliorates symtoms of a disability—whether apparent or not apparent, mental or physical, as long as the need is supported by statements from a health care professional.
Unfortunately, it took more than a month for the dispute between Abby and her landlord to be resolved. However, Many eventually became a resident of the partment complex.
If you know someone who could benefit from a service or companion animal but has not been allowed to have one because of a “no pet” policy, refer them to the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), or a local organization, such as Disability Action NW. Inc. <>
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