Bullies come in all sizes, ages and sexes

As many of you know, one of our kids is especially fearful of other kids (and not without some reason). This is why we decided to get a service dog, our beloved Rommel. A number of our neighbors have dogs, which are only permitted if they qualify as a "Service Animal" in conjunction with the Americans with Disabilities Act. So we searched for an appropriate dog that we could afford, and educated ourselves about the requirements of Service Animals in Nebraska. We sought the forms we needed from the management company to have the dog properly "permitted" under our lease. It was a lot of work.

Eventually, we got the necessary note from our child's pediatrician about their disability, and the necessity of the dog (in our case). He also noted the improvement the child made since the dog has been in our home.

Our application included My (Will's) name, Amber's, and the child in question. My doctor sent a letter first, stating that while I could benefit from the service dog, my depression doesn't rise to the level of a "disability". Quite true, and not unexpected. Amber's note hasn't been written yet.

Now I have a question for our readers. Which of the following actions did our landlords take in response to the 2 doctors' letters that they had:

A) Process the permit immediately
B) Wait until Monday to call and consult with the physicians
C) Request a meeting with us to discuss the options available
D) Deny the request, or any appeal, in violation of the ADA, immediately

If you said "D"...you are correct. Despite having the doctor's (very clear) note, the manager's supervisor (Carol) decided that it would be best to summarily deny the request, and have her minion (Kim) give us the bad news that we had 9 days to get rid of Rommel, or we would be evicted (and also lose our Section 8 Housing benefits) 14 days from that date.

There is nothing that get's my dander up like a bully. Especially a bully in violation of Federal Law. I had Amber immediately call the FHA (Fair Housing Authority), and the ADA national hotline. After they spoke with Carol, Carol had the hutzpah to tell Amber: "You didn't need to call ADA".

Apparently that was exactly what we needed to do.

I asked Amber if I have a note tattooed on my forehead (where I can't see it), that says: "Mess with me, I'll never stand-up for myself or any member of my family"?

I think many people underestimate the importance of standing-up to bullies, even when it's not convenient.

Clearly, Carol thought that she was beyond reach of any higher authority when she foolishly and illegally tried to bully us into doing as she commanded. I'm sure that she realized her situation (if she persisted), when the ADA and FHA people showed her that they had the authority to force her to do something that she didn't feel like doing. Nothing is more bitter to a bully than being forced to do anything.

Clearly, we are now off the Christmas card list of Seldin Properties, and our lease will not be renewed next May. I am certain because it is Carol's last area where she can force us to do something she wants us to do. Bullies never forgive those who embarrass them...ever.

We qualify for enough rent through Section 8 to rent a 4-bedroom house with fenced yard. Amber found several when we thought we'd have to move (immediately). It all works-out well because My mother will be living with us in March anyway.