Long Island Shelter Must Allow Service Dog Despite Bite Claim

A Long Island county must allow a woman with cerebral palsy to have her service dog at its shelters after a federal court granted her a preliminary injunction.

Suffolk County Department of Social Services and the woman dispute whether her dog bit a resident, but the woman would suffer irreparable harm if not allowed to keep that specific service dog during litigation, the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York said. The court said Suffolk is unlikely to convince it that a muzzle is an unreasonable accommodation.

Cerebral palsy is incurable. Because Nicole Ahlschlager has it, she ...