Article
Courtesy of the St. Petersburg Times
By
CHANDRA BROADWATER
Posted June 23, 2006
WEEKI WACHEE - Dee Bordonaro wants her dog to come
home.
The 62-year-old resident of the Greens at the
Heather continues to fight the Weeki Wachee condo association over
whether her 5-pound toy Shih Tzu, Chloe, can live with her there.
Since February, Bordonaro and her 64-year-old
husband, Joe, have been trying to convince officials at the Greens that
Chloe does not fit into its no-pet policy.
Their dog is for medical purposes, they say, not
just for fun. Chloe is even a certified service dog.
About a month ago, the association did offer to
let Chloe come home but just until October when the Bordonaros were
expected to move into a new house.
They also asked the couple to drop the housing
discrimination complaint the Bordonaros filed with the U.S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development. Dee Bordonaro says the association
violated disability rights laws by keeping Chloe in exile. "I told
them, very nicely, that my husband said, 'Shove it,' " Dee
Bordonaro said Thursday. "They just want to shut me up."
Condo association board members said that they
cannot comment on the situation because there is litigation. The group's
attorney, Paul Nessler, was unavailable for comment Thursday.
The whole thing started last September when three
doctors advised Bordonaro to get a pet. A neurologist, internist and
therapist each said that an animal companion would help take her mind
off her health problems. Along with MS, she has depression and diabetes.
So Bordonaro found Chloe.
Much to her surprise, the dog did help her feel
better. Bordonaro stopped taking Xanax - she had taken four a day on top
of the Prozac she takes for depression. Her debilitating MS attacks
didn't happen as frequently.
Her moods also got better. She liked to get up and
watch the fluffy white dog run around outside on her rope in the yard.
Inside on the couch, Bordonaro would sit with Chloe for hours, loving
every lick. But when faced with eviction from the condo or sending Chloe
elsewhere, Bordonaro had to start visiting her small pet at the home of
her daughter, Chris LaRocca, in Spring Hill.
When she can make it there, she sits on the couch
to play with Chloe. It's just like at home. But these past few months
have been hard. The MS attacks have kept Bordonaro in her pajamas most
of the time.
Sometimes LaRocca drives Chloe over. The three
begin a visit in the parking lot when Bordonaro climbs into the front
passenger seat and shuts the door.
Along with the stress of trying to bring Chloe
home, the Bordonaros have been faced with other concerns. They were
supposed to move into their new, handicapped-accessible home for Dee in
September.
But then the financial problems of Coral Bay
Construction Co. surfaced. Now the Bordonaros pray they're able to
eventually resell the $40,000 lot they bought in the Royal Highlands
area.
In the meantime, the couple hope to find a house
to rent - one where pets are allowed. They sold their condo at the
Greens in anticipation of their new home and have been renting from the
new owners.
"Disabled
means more than being blind, or something more obvious," Dee
Bordonaro said. "My stress level is over the top, and Joe, he's
getting burnt out. We don't need this."
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