Pookie Gets To Stay In Condo

A state agency has ruled against a Northern California condominium association that refused to allow a dog to live with a disabled owner.

The Fair Employment and Housing Commission this week found the Auburn Woods I Homeowners´ Association had discriminated against Ed and Jayne Elebiari. The association had made the couple get rid of their dog Pookie.

The commission awarded the couple 18 thousand dollars for emotional distress and in civil penalties. The couple say they suffer from severe depression stemming from an auto accident and their health improved when they rescued Pookie from an animal shelter in 1999.

The homeowner´s association says it plans to appeal the ruling. Attorney Michael Thomas says the couple did not document their need for a dog.