I feel like you left some details out....

I'm glad I wasn't the only person who thought that. Obviously there are conflicting reports and this case is more complicated than what I'm about to say will make it seem, but conversation starter ≠ service animal.

Thanks. I don't want to deny a child something helpful to her, but at the same time, there are reasons most people don't keep horses — even miniature ones — on suburban yards.

Conditions in the photo look filthy and unsafe for the animals. That many animals would be a lot of work. I wouldn't keep my horse there, judging from the photo. Also, I find it hard to believe that the alpaca is a service animal. The mini? Sure. But alpacas don't relate to people the way dogs and horses do,…

That was the part of the story where I started thinking maybe the town wasn't just being a bunch of doodooheads. If I'm doing the math right, their lot is about a quarter-acre. Thirteen average-size animals on a lot that small is bordering on nuisance territory already — it's simply not enough space. I'm open to the…

Yeah, I definitely had the thought that the rooster was the real problem.

Yeah, but so is keeping a mini horse under your back stairs, which is what the photo makes it look like. Animals have to be provided proper care and housing.

I'm sure there are many people who own and care for livestock/multiple domestic animals in a domestic setting would say that they are intrinsic to their quality of life. Unfortunately, not everyone is going to find living near a small farm within close suburban dwellings comfortable. It would take a pretty unique…

From the linked article the mother apparently owns a farm, which she say was the source (and usual home) of the alpaca. With her own health problems, multiple children, one with disabilities and a farm to run I'm not sure why she'd even want the extra animals at her residence, but hey...
The service horse sounds vital,…

You may want to re-word, the animal wasn't seized. It's not in custody. The family was told it couldn't stay on the property if the horse remained. The story is still f*&ked up, but I think it's worth clarifying that the city didn't take the animal.

Not true. Service animals do not need certification, they just need to meet the standards of the ADA, and miniature horses may not be considered service animals under a recent revision to the ADA: http://www.ada.gov/service_animal…

Right. I've worked as an aide for a lot of people with disabilities who had service animals so I'm inclined to advocate for accommodation, but this doesn't sound on the up and up. The city is staying very quiet about this for now so we're only getting the mother's take on this. And I find it very weird that she points…

Sure sounds like a lot of animals to keep in town. Maybe the horse is just the last straw for the neighbors. I can just imagine them thinking "Wow...OK now they have a HORSE, too?" Maybe they need to prioritize their menagerie. If it truly is a service animal, they should keep it and trim the pack down. If they really…

Maybe if we moved some of the pigs and all of the roosters along, I bet the neighbors would feel a bit easier. I wouldn't go so far as calling it "hoarding" (without knowing actual numbers), but it is legitimate to say that if it isn't "crowding" some of the critters qualify as a pain in the tuchus. I hope everyone…

Just until the lawsuit is resolved, though. You have to wonder whether, if the city said she could keep JUST the horse, the mom would agree to permanently keep the other animals off the property.

I did see that, and I hope the city drops the action related to the horse or that a higher court decides in favor of the family on that point. I just have some sympathy for the 4 years worth of complaints and don't necessarily think that all of those were motivated by a desire to pick on a child with a disability. I'd…

I'm a service animal (dog) user, and I opened this article expecting to be outraged, but . . .

I just did some quick math after reading the other articles linked to this and I think the family's two mini horses could live happily on a 50x175 foot lot... if the lot didn't have a whole flock of other animals or a whole house plopped on it. I think an alpaca needs about half an acre to thrive too. This sounds like…

If you think I'm "shoehorning" my pet issue in here, blame the international media for framing it that way: