A Miami-Dade couple is suing the county after police came to their home to take their service dog away because of a local pit bull ban.
According to a complaint filed Tuesday, Lucky, a 3-year-old service dog, is trained to recognize when his owner, Felix Conde, is short of breath.
"[Lucky is] trained to retrieve a rescue inhaler containing the prescription medicine Proventil," the complaint said.
The director of the Miami Coalition Against Breed Specific Legislation, Dahlia Canes, is a paralegal in Conde's case.
"He has a disability. He has a service dog and because it is a pit bull Miami-Dade County said that it didn't matter, that the pit bull was illegal in the county and it had to leave Miami-Dade County," said Canes.
Canes said Conde and his wife followed orders. They took Lucky to Broward County to live with a trainer until further notice.
"Felix has every right under [the] American Disability Act to have any type of breed being a service dog. It is clearly in violation of federal law under ADA," said Canes.
Even though Lucky's owners say the pit bull is a trained service dog, the Miami-Dade ordinance banning pit bulls makes no exception for service dogs.
"There are no exceptions for anything in that ordinance, it is hideous," said Canes.
She said the situation has taken an emotional toll on the family. Conde is currently in the hospital because he got into a motorcycle accident on the drive back from visiting Lucky in Hollywood.
"It's enough. This has been the single instrument for the killing of thousands of dogs since 1989. It's time Miami," said Canes.
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