Ohio zoning board: 5 of family's 7 dogs must go

FAIRFIELD, Ohio (AP) — An ailing woman who says her seven dogs are therapeutic is fighting a southwest Ohio suburban city’s zoning rule that limits residents to two pets.

Karen Glardon says her dogs help her battle with multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.

“I’ve got a lot going on with me. They are therapy for me,” she said. “I’m depressed; they know when something’s wrong with me. They come up and lay with me on the bed.”

The Cincinnati Enquirer reported today that Glardon, 57, and her daughter are going before the Fairfield Board of Zoning Appeals next week to fight the rule. Fairfield’s nearly 30-year-old pet regulation limits residents to two adult dogs or cats older than four months on a residential lot.

It says owners must apply for a kennel license for additional animals, although the city doesn’t allow kennels on residential property.

Fairfield’s mayor said it’s important to enforce such laws to protect the condition of the northern Cincinnati suburb.