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By DAN HAUGEN, Courier Staff Writer
INDEPENDENCE --- Wiggling with excitement, Mafessie circles the living room perimeter with puppy-dog curiosity before hopping back on the couch.

The dark-haired, 7-month-old rat terrier might be small enough to cuddle in a lap, but make no mistake, this pup has a big responsibility. Mafessie serves as a seeing-eye dog for her owner, Maggie Quinn, who is visually impaired.

The wide-eyed, perky-eared purebred keeps Quinn, 52, from bumping into cars, trees and other obstacles as she makes her way about town.

But the canine also is complicating Quinn's apartment search, she said. An Independence apartment manager recently denied Quinn's rental application last week, citing the property's "no pet" policy. She's contacted city and state officials to complain and is considering legal action against the company.

"People need to be made aware that service animals are not pets," Quinn said.

It is illegal to reject renters with disabilities for using service animals, according to advocates for those with disabilities.

Allen Harris, director of the Iowa Department for the Blind, said the state doesn't keep statistics on such complaints, but it's an issue they deal with "from time to time." Usually the incidents are misunderstandings, he said, typically cleared up with a simple phone call or visit explaining the law.

The property manager who denied Quinn's application declined to be interviewed for this story but said she requested paperwork proving Quinn was disabled and Mafessie is a certified guide dog.

Dave Sollenbarger, director of the Iowa Landlord Association, said it's understandable that a property manager might expect to see documentation from a medical professional verifying the need for a service animal.

"If she had some sort of certificate from a doctor, then the property manager should not have denied her," Sollenbarger said.

Because fully trained service dogs can cost thousands of dollars, Quinn decided to teach the terrier herself. As a result, it has no formal training certificate. Also, since her eyesight deteriorated from glaucoma two years ago, Quinn has not been certified legally blind, which she claims to be.

Quinn said she was born with a rare condition that causes eye pigment to flake off and obscure vision. She cannot see with her right eye and has what she described as severe tunnel vision in her left eye.

The condition worsened with age. Quinn has worn glasses since third grade, and for several years that allowed sufficient sight. Surgery 10 years ago temporarily improved her vision, but it's since worsened significantly, she said.

A divorce last year left Quinn without a home. She's stayed with relatives since February but said she would rather not impose. A former waitress and nurse's assistant, she now has limited income from baby-sitting, further complicating her and her fiance's apartment hunt.

"We've been waiting for months for a place to call home," Quinn said.

Harris said a lack of credentials can complicate a case, but the law's overriding principal still should apply.

"The purpose of the law is to keep you from being discriminated against," he said.

Quinn said this is the second time she has been turned down for an apartment because of her dog, and that's why she's raising her voice about the issue.

Andi Krusoe, admissions and graduate services manager for Guide Dogs of America, said most victims are not persistent after being wrongfully rejected. Those who do pursue rarely seek financial rewards.

"It's more about breaking down those barriers and not having it happen to someone else down the road," she said.