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Resident says police ordered removal of two assistance dogs; files federal housing complaint
Summary
A Brandon resident told the board an officer, acting on the police chief’s instruction, demanded removal of two pit bulls the resident says are assistance animals; she says she has submitted documentation, cited HUD definitions and filed a federal Fair Housing complaint while asking that her dogs be allowed to remain during review.
A resident told the City of Brandon board that Officer McIntyre, at the direction of Police Chief French, informed her she had 24 hours to remove two pit bulls from her home or face a citation for keeping pit bulls. "My right to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness is being compromised by the city of Brandon," the resident said during public comment.
She said she had been working on a revised variance application after the board on June 2 had denied an accommodation request as "premature" and that she had submitted documentation and neighbor testimony that the dogs are assistance animals and pose no safety threat. She cited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development definition of an assistance animal and said she had filed a federal housing-discrimination complaint with the office that enforces the Fair Housing Act. "I am owed the right to due process," she said, and asked that her dogs be allowed to remain in her home while her application and the federal complaint are investigated.
The resident told the board she had emailed Police Chief French at 10:30 a.m. and left a voicemail at 3 p.m. asking for clarification, and that Officer McIntyre discussed the 24-hour removal notice with her for nearly 20 minutes.
Neighbors who spoke during public comment described the animals as well cared for and said they had not seen incidents tied to the dogs. Tricia McNulty, a resident, said her neighborhood remains active and that she had seen children continue to play in common areas since the dog owner moved in. Another resident, Monica Baldwin, said she once owned pit bulls and urged the board not to let one person's fear drive enforcement.
The board did not announce a formal response on the record during public comment. The resident said she had resubmitted application materials and asked the board and city staff to allow the accommodation to remain in effect while the federal complaint and the local application are resolved.
