OCR Text |
Show A-10 The Park Record Wed/Thurs/Fri, March 27-29, 2019 Landlords grapple with pets More people claim animals are for emotional support ASSOCIATED PRESS Specializing in the repair and maintenance of Audi, BMW, Land Rover, Mercedes, Porsche, Subaru, VW, Volvo And All Other Makes and Models Oil Changes, Brakes, Tire Sales and Repairs Park City's only AAA certified auto repair shop Pick up and delivery service available Conveniently located in the heart of Park City behind Ritual Chocolate Follow us on SALT LAKE CITY — Utah landlords say an increasing number of renters are claiming their pets are emotional support animals and not subject to pet deposits and pet rents. Landlords are struggling to determine which renters legitimately need the pets for medical reasons and which renters have fraudulently obtained a license to have an emotional support animal, said Paul Smith, executive director of the Utah Apartment Association, which advocates for landlords, the Deseret News reported. “I can’t go 30 minutes any time I’m around landlords without someone bringing up assistance animals,” Smith said. “That’s the No. 1 issue for landlords. Landlords want to accommodate people with disability, but want to cut down on fraud.” To call a pet an emotional support animal, people are to get a letter from a ƌ ͻ required ͻ therapist or doctor that states x they have an impairment that limits their ability to perform x life activities. x x x Over 30 Years Experience Serving Park City Since 1989 x ( 2 8 8 6 ) 435-649-AUTO Se Habla Espanol x x x FAX: 435-649-2846 Mon-Fri: 8-530 1155 Iron Horse Dr • Park City Fitness Program with anxiety, depression and PTSD that started after her father committed suicide when she was a child. Uribe said she was in a “dark place” and having suicidal thoughts when she moved from Oregon to Ogden, Utah, for college. Medicine her doctor prescribed made her feel like she was in a fog. Her dog provides real relief and seems to instinctively know when she needs soothing. “If Winston sees that I’m upset, he will climb up on me or lay on my chest,” Uribe said. Therapist Jeffrey Gregson, of Fruit Heights, Utah, said he’s careful not to provide letters to people who don’t really need emotional support animals. “I have had many requests, but only granted a few,” Gregson said. “I’ve had many millennials ask for it, often unwarranted. I find it beneficial for those who are alone and suffering from depression.” Smith, of the Utah Apartment Association, said landlords want to accommodate people who truly need the animals but don’t want to turn a blind eye to fraud. “Our frustration is not that we don’t think there are people who genuinely need one,” Smith said, but added that the “animal has to be a medical necessity. We don’t think that definition is met most of the time.” Hogle Zoo gives visitors a rare, behind-the-scenes tour Guests are shown what happens in the animal hospital x ASSOCIATED PRESS tri it out But the Deseret News found it is easy to acquire a letter online for $100. Utah lawmakers this year passed a new law stiffening penalties for emotional support animal fraud. The new law made it a Class C misdemeanor to lie about the need for an emotional support animal or misrepresent a pet as being an emotional support animal. Tiffany Thayne, 25, of Provo, said her therapist recommended an emotional support animal to help with anxiety, depression and PTSD that she developed after a car accident in high school left several of her friends seriously injured and one person dead. Her symptoms became worse after her sister died last year. Thayne, a geology major at Brigham Young University, lives with her collie puppy named Dusty at an apartment complex in Provo. She says Dusty helps her mentally and physically. “He makes it so I exercise at least twice a day,” Thayne said. “When I don’t feel like getting out of bed, I have to get out of bed to take care of him.” Thayne said it’s sad that people are abusing the system. “It makes it harder for people who actually need the dogs,” Thayne said. Analisa Uribe, 21, has a miniature dachshund dog named Winston that helps her SALT LAKE CITY — The zoo in Salt Lake City has begun offering visitors a new behind-the-scenes tour of an area rarely seen by outsiders. The walk through Hogle Zoo’s animal hospital reveals what veterinarians see and what they do in real-life scenarios, like when a polar bear swallows a glove or a sea lion eats a sock, The Salt Lake Tribune reported . “We’ll be going where visitors don’t usually go,” said Angelina Kirkessner, the zoo’s lead education instructor. The tours can have up to eight people and cost $40 a person. The program launched this month shows people different operating rooms, including one with a table that can hold an animal up to 2,000 pounds. While the syringes, gauze, and tongue suppressors make the room look like a typical doctor’s office, they are much larger and made for animals the size of a horse. The work typically done there is preventive care, like annual checkups. Veterinarians also take samples of blood, urine, skin and whatever comes down the spot labeled “poop shoot.” The tour also includes a peek into the quarantine area where new animals stay for a month before being introduced into exhibits. In there now are four red foxes, who are set to debut in the coming weeks after the zoo’s lone wolf was sent out. There’s also the necropsy room, which holds reptile and mammal preserves used for studies. On a recent visit, they included a golden frog suspended in yellow gel, a bottle full of zebra eyes, a jar holding an orangutan heart and the bones of two elephant feet on display. The feet belonged to Dari, who was the oldest African elephant in North America when she died of natural causes at 53 years old. The lab can also produce work that helps humans, like a study completed at the zoo in 2015 on how elephants rarely develop cancer. “They can help us learn even after they pass away,” Kirkessner said. “We’re still learning.” BYU appeals decision to decertify school’s police Swim Bike Run with Basin Overwhelmed by the idea of training for a triathlon? In these beginner-friendly workouts, you will learn to efficiently perform all three disciplines and transition from one to the other. April 1 - June 1 • Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 8:30am - 9:30am • The Fieldhouse • $195 www.basinrecreation.org (435)655-0999 The sanction was announced after violations found ASSOCIATED PRESS SALT LAKE CITY – Brigham Young University has vowed to fight to keep its police department, as the state plans to decertify the force. The Salt Lake Tribune re- ports the private university on Friday filed a formal appeal with the Utah Department of Public Safety, calling the state’s efforts an “extreme and unprecedented action.” The state Department of Public Safety announced last month that it wants to sanction BYU’s police department for several violations. If BYU’s appeal is unsuccessful, the decertification would go into effect Sept. 1. Attorneys for BYU argue that Public Safety Commissioner Jess Anderson overstepped his authority in seeking the decertification, and violated BYU’s rights to due process. They also say the state is treating the department differently than other agencies in Utah. DPS officials confirmed Friday that the department received the appeal but declined to comment further. Get the top local news stories delivered directly to your inbox with a new weekly email update from the Park Record! Sign up now at bit.ly/prrecordroundup |