Iraq War Veteran's Service Dog Could Cost Him a Place to Live

Photos: Left, Jon and Alli shortly after she was brought into the family; Right, Alli

A 29-year-old veteran of the Iraq war claims his landlord is kicking him and his wife out of their home because of his service dog.

Jon Jans and his wife Jillian have lived in Manchester Court apartments at 147th and Central Avenue in Oak Forest for four years, but last week they received a letter from their landlord saying they are not welcome back upon expiration of their lease in 60 days.

The two say it’s because of Jon’s service dog Alli; the landlord says they have no one to blame but themselves.

Dogs aren’t allowed in the complex, said Jillian Jans, but a service dog is an exception, as stated by the property’s previous manager and as noted in a letter on the property door. That manager left in January, she said, and the new manager has seemingly disapproved of Alli on multiple occasions, including when she accompanied Jon into the management office.

Jon was told the dog couldn’t be there, but the Americans with Disabilities Act permits service animals into any public space where he is. But according to the apartment supervisor, it’s not where the dog walks but where she “goes” that’s the problem.

In an email statement to Fox 32, Supervisor Julie Paliatka stated that “maintenance technicians have seen dog feces and smelled dog urine in the Jans apartment on multiple occasions.”

The Jans deny those claims, stating the dog is well cared for and well-trained.

‘A Godsend’

During Operation Iraqi Freedom, Jon worked nine-day rotations. Three days would be spent on patrol in Ramadi, a city 68 miles west of Baghdad. He’d spend another three days training the Iraqi army, and he was stationed inside the American military compound for three days. He and his men would patrol the city four times each day on their slotted shifts, with Jans behind the wheel of a Humvee. During one of those patrols on March 9, 2006, an explosive detonated near his vehicle. He was knocked unconscious.

His lasting symptoms include a constant dull headache, seizures, blackouts, short-term memory loss and post-traumatic stress disorder. In social situations, Jon’s combat reflexives are triggered. Alli is trained to walk a perimeter around him, to keep space between Jans and the people around him. She is trained to position herself between her owner and someone who approaches him unexpectedly, to prevent a physical reaction. She can sense an impending seizure, and is trained to recognize when a blackout might be brought on by the pinched artery in his brain. Oftentimes, her mere presence puts him at ease and helps him sleep through a night.

She has been “a godsend,” Jillian said.

“It’s so hard to put it down on paper what she does for him,” she said. “When he came home, he was on 18 medications when he got out of the Marines. He was on nine when we first got her. He’s on six now. ”

The Midlothian native also has devoted himself to a new calling as proprietor of the specially branded Warrior Vodka—which donates a large portion of proceeds to disabled veterans. The family is searching for a home to buy, and had hoped to stay in the apartment long enough to prevent having to move twice.

Management maintains “Manchester Court is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and welcomes everyone to the property.”

This does not feel like business, Jillian said. This feels personal. They are considering legal action.

“I don’t know how you were built, the trial and tribulations that you went through to get here to be this kind of person,” she said of the apartment manager, “but I know what my husband gave to get here. And this just is not fair. It’s not right.”